sunday - The Reykjavik Grapevine

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ISSUE FOUR : JULY 9 - JULY 22 , 2004
Articles
06
GREENPEACE AND ICELAND: PARTNERS?
Or do the whales still get caught in between
08
THE MIDGARD SERPENT LIVES
And he´s going to do us in
12
WHERE IS THE MULTICULTURAL SOCIETY?
A day at Höfði, Reagan and Gorbachev´s old haunt.
26
PLEASE DON´T DISTURB SIGURRÓS
Bart tries to have a conversation with the elusive band
Feature
10
PUNK IS DEAD BUT THE PUNKS STILL LIVE
Where is the illustrious cast of Rokk í Reykjavík now?
Fashion, Food and Drink
13
MOTHER TONGUE LICKS T-SHIRTS INTO SHAPE
A brief history of T-shirts
24
BEERMAN IN:
Comforts don´t come cheap
Arts & Culture
18
20
MAN BITES SHARK
A true story
SHOPPING IN FRONT OF SUFFERING
But the clerks don´t seem to mind
Music & Nightlife
18
20
THE GRUMPIEST MAN IN DUBLIN
An exclusive non-interview with Lou Reed
OUTCLASSING METALLICA
Bart manages to trade words with Krummi
Outside Reykjavík
28
ON THE RIVERBANK WITH BUBBI
And he´s in a good mood
The Reykjavík Grapevine crew
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Hafnarstræti 15, 2nd floor
[email protected]
Editors: 561-2323 / 845-2152 / [email protected]
Advertising: 562-1213 / 869-7796 / [email protected]
Distribution: 562-1213 / 898-9249 / [email protected]
Listings: 562-1213 / 869-7796 / [email protected]
Publisher: Hilmar Steinn Grétarsson / [email protected]
Editor: Valur Gunnarsson / [email protected]
Co-editor: Robert Jackson / [email protected]
Listings editor: Jón Trausti Sigurðarson
/ [email protected]
Production manager: Oddur Óskar Kjartansson
/ [email protected]
Creative director: Hörður Kristbjörnsson / [email protected]
Photographer: Hörður Sveinsson / [email protected]
Proofreader: Paul Fontaine-Nikolov
Art Correspondent: Marcie Hume
Advertising directors: Hilmar Steinn & Jón Trausti
Distribution: Hrafn Þráinsson & Jóhann Páll Hreinsson
Cover photo by: Hörður Sveinsson
On cover: Friðrik Álfur Mánason
Special thanks to: Gallerí 17
Printed by: Ísafoldarprentsmiðja ehf.
# of copies: 30.101
Planned day tours:
Landmanna-
laugar
Volcano Hekla
Explosion crater
Hot natural bath
The Golden
Hekla
Volcano
A real 4x4 safari Circle
Colors and craters • Geologival adventure
Glacier • Geological wonders
Snowmobile ride
Iceland
Glacier
in a Nutshell
Mýrdalsjökull
Extraordinary landscape
Glaciers • Hot springs • Lava caves
Unique combination of fire and ice
LETTERS
Complaints, criticism, suggestions, praise, money in new, unmarked bills, anything at all: Contact
[email protected] or send your mail to: The Reykjavík Grapevine, Hafnarstræti 15, 101 Reykjavík
Received sms:
The regulars at Kaffi Vín support you wholeheartedly
100%. It´s about time Icelanders accept the fact that the
world reaches farther out than 200 nautical miles and
includes things that can even be more interesting than
sour food, brennivín and Americanized Vikings.
flýgur (When the Raven Flies), the very film that taught a
generation of Swedes to say “Tungur Knivur.” The mistake
was not Þráins, as we translated his comments ourselves. The
translator would be summarily punished, were it not for the
fact that he is also the editor. Hence, a gentle “better luck next
time” will do.
Finally, someone who´s not acting out of self-interest.
Dear editor,
All the anchor people at Channel 2 got the latest issue
of Grapevine sent, apart from me. Is this because all my
female colleagues at the channel are blonde and blueeyed, but not me?
Regards,
Sólveig Kr. Bergmann
PS. Moli demands a party and we all want to see Vín on
your map.
Oh, well.
Received phone call:
Góða kvöldið. Pétur Pétursson heiti ég og mér langaði til
að benda á málfarsvillu í sambandi við bréf eftir þig sem
var birt í Fréttablaðinu. Þú talar þar um magn af fólki, en
í íslensku talar maður um fjölda fólks og magn af kjöti.
Takk fyrir og gangi ykkur vel.
This would lose the point in English. But at least you know
people are listening to what you´re saying when they call you
up in the evening to correct your grammar.
[email protected] wrote:
The white power community all over the Nordic countries seems to be mad at you because of some prank you
pulled, involving a black model and a national costume.
What gives?
If nothing else, at least I´ve managed to unite Scandinavian
Nazidom. Now, if only our side would stop bickering among
themselves.
From the stormfront.org website:
Scandinavia nationalist: A liberal commie photographer got the splendid idea to take a picture of a negress
in the national uniform with some beautiful Icelandic
nature behind to prettify the front page of some business
magazine…
White Iceland: As you can imagine, being an English
paper, many of the writers and readers are immigrants
and the editorial policy is libertarian to leftist…
They then go on to say they smell blood and print my number
and address as well as that of Sheba for any of its members interested. But I´m glad to hear that we´re libertarian
commie leftists who run a business magazine. I think that
covers pretty much the whole spectrum. Except, of course, for
Nazism. But apparently Nazis are not the only ones who are
confused:
Heard at a party at the American embassy:
Óli Tynes: You´re all communists!
Grapevine: Why?
Óli Tynes: YOU put a black woman in the national
costume.
Grapevine: And that makes me a communist. Define the
word communist.
Óli Tynes: I don´t have to, you are all communists etc..
Hi.
Thank you for the 3rd issue of Grapevine that I received
today, I have in fact read the others with pleasure. Well
written and edited material. It is useful to have a look at
the country and the people from the outside. But you
should look at one thing: In the Top 8 movies, by Þráin
Bertelsson on page 30 it says: “3. When the Raven Flies”
(Í skugga hrafnsins).
This is confusing. It is the film Hrafninn flýgur
(1984) which in English is called When the Raven Flies
(also Revenge of the Barbarians). Í skugga hrafnsins
(1988) is called in English In the Shadow of the Raven.
Best wishes, Ólafur H. Torfason
You´re a perceptive man, Ólafur. Not only did you notice
the fine quality of the editing, but you also managed to find
a mistake. The film Þráinn mentions is indeed Hrafninn
Grapeviners prefer blondes.
Dear grapevine read your paper all three of them excelent. Apart from the ask the American. This is a country that thinks it’s ok to carpet bomb a whole country to
get one person. And to invade another to find another.
It’s also the only country that has two national sports
sports contests and calls them world contests wwf and
world series. i think you would have been better asking
the teletubbies .
3546984354 [[email protected]]
But surely you can´t hold the entire population responsible for
the World Wrestling Federation and the war in Iraq . A lot
of Americans are actually quite sensible despite the actions
of a government the majority of them didn´t vote for. Some
Icelanders, even, have been found to be sensible despite the actions of a government that the majority of them did vote for.
Dear Sir
After visiting the Víkingahátíð (Viking festival) in
Hafnarfjörður I came away an enlightened man. I had
no idea the Vikings had discovered electricity and were
able to use computers, more glasses, watches and smoked
cigarettes!!
I did however know of their tradition for plundering and
stealing, a tradition reflected in the price they charged for
a drink. They robbed me of 950kr for a single rum and
coke. Yours sincerely,
Colin Porter, 101 Reykjavík
We like the Viking festival. But we don´t like the price of
alcohol in Iceland. Vikings should band together and do
something about this.
Dear Grapevine- Crew,
As a foreigner living in Iceland I find it really refreshing
and amusing to read in a magazine how Iceland really is.
In fact you are the only magazine I´ve seen which covers
even negative experiences and reveals that not everything
is quite that “best í heimi” like the Icelanders would like
it to be. It really seems that the Icelanders have a big
problem with being such a small nation and compensate
for this by telling themselves (and no one else would
believe them) that everything Icelandic is “best í heimi”.
Sincerly Yours, becko!
Grapevine -Best í heimi
Dear Jondi, Hilmar and Valur,
If you are able to rise to the occasion, you may very well
create one of those magical whirlwinds about which art
historians write and upon which future writers reflect
for inspiration and validation! If you do not challenge
one another - everyone involved with the paper, writers,
editors, etc. - and hold one another accountable, then you
will create nothing special and simply add to the sewer
we, the public, consume on a daily basis. Please don’t do
that to us.
So here’s my rant…
#1. Editor, you’re not doing your job! You continue to…
The rest of this letter has been edited out.
WULFFMORGENTHALER
see more at www.wulffmorgenthaler.com
EDITORIAL
AFTER THE DECLINE OF
WESTERN CIVILISATION
by Valur Gunnarsson
When I moved back to Iceland in 1990, it seemed the scene was
still living in the shadow of Rokk í Reykjavík. In fact, there was
something of a punk revival going on.
Except now it was called Death
Metal, and the disaffected wore long
hair and trainers rather than Mohawks and steel tipped boots. Metal
heads and diehard punks coexisted
peacefully, if occasionally attacked
by the better groomed but probably
worse disposed guys from the pool
halls.
The left wing politics of Utangarðsmenn and the Clash had long
since disappeared. Instead we had
a lot of songs about autopsies and
other forms of corpse mutilation. In
the absence of anything to say which
might have challenged convention,
the disgruntled went for shock effect
for its own sake. Communism had
collapsed, punk had finally killed off
the hippies who managed to hang on
longer here than anywhere else. But
what did we have instead?
The punks, just as the hippies,
grew up and got jobs in advertising
agencies and at phone companies.
The hippies tried to build a better
society, and failed. The punks then
attempted to tear down that society,
but their fire was short lived. The
hippies did to some extent achieve
equality between genders and races,
although problems related to these
have refused to go away entirely. But
what did the punks leave behind?
Punk may have been the final
generational attempt to rebel against
capitalism wholesale. Since then, despite periodic complaining, everyone
has come to take it for granted. Since
punk, there hasn´t been any movement to belong to.
In the wake of punk, we´ve seen
the triumph of greed not just as a social system but as an ideology. Were
the punks in some way to blame for
the decline of western civilisation
that came in their wake?
Since punk, caring has been decidedly uncool. “I don´t give a fuck”
became the slogan of young rebels.
We´ve had postmodernism, artists
complaining that everything has been
done, philosophers analysing nothing
but philosophy and comedians who
made fun of the downtrodden rather
than the rich and powerful.
Perhaps when punk tore everything down ideologically, there
was nothing left to build on. For
someone who grew up on anarchism,
making the jump to libertarian
wasn´t that hard. It was all too easy
to be against all rules, even the ones
that were set in the poor´s favour.
You could pretend to be an anarchist
and still make money, as long as
you opposed government intervention. Which, if you´re rich, you´d
do anyway. As the film Bob Roberts
said: “The times they are a-changing
back.” The 60s revolution had finally
been undone.
Four years into the new century,
and things may be changing back
again. After September the 11th
2001, ideology has returned with
a vengeance. Our leaders are back
to using words like good and evil,
which in the 90s seemed outdated,
in their speeches. We again need to
deal with fundamental questions that
not long ago seemed to belong to an
earlier age. We again need to take
to the streets. A new breed of punk
swears against drugs and alcohol, is
vegetarian and very concerned about
the state of the world. Perhaps the
time is ripe for a new revolution.
But this time, we need to be more
clear on exactly what it is we want to
achieve.
was a very strange idea to come here
for a Honeymoon. They thought a
warm Mediterranean country was a
much more normal place to go to.
tells us that 278.000 people live here,
they must be right about that.
Nicky: I thought he was your king.
Have you been here long?
Nicky: The pond with the ducks
down by the City hall.
Tim: I like the view from the
harbour, the surrounding mountains
and especially Snæfellsjökull glacier
are beautiful.
Passing through
How do you like Iceland?
Names?
Tim and Nicky
Where are you from?
We’re from Norwich, England.
What are you doing in Iceland?
We’re here on a Honeymoon. And
may we add that most our friends
and relatives back home thought it
We haven’t seen much of it yet, only
Reykjavík and Reykjavík feels much
more like a small town in England
than a nations capital.
Do you know who Björk is?
Everything is sooo expensive.
Yes! We also know Sigurrós, they
won the MTV awards for best video
this year.
How many people live in Iceland?
Do you know who Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson is?
Well, our Lonely Planet guidebook
No. Tim: Is he a hockey player?
How don’t you like Iceland?
Tel. (+354)444 4000
Have you heard about the current debate in Iceland?
Err… is it about joining the EU
perhaps?
Have you tried any Icelandic
delicacies?
We had fish, but nothing really
Icelandic. Yesterday we went to
Sjávarkjallarinn restaurant and today
we ate out at Café Sólon.
Any famous last words?
Iceland; Weird, friendly, save and
the water smells funny.
16 hotels
around iceland
NONNI OG MANNI YDDA / sia.is NM12339
We just arrived yesterday.
What’s your favourite spot in
Reykjavík?
6
GREENPEACE AND ICELAND: PARTNERS?
by Paul Fontaine-Nikolov
�� �����
T
o many in Iceland, the name “Greenpeace” is synonymous with
the term “bleeding heart whale-huggers”, a group of angry young
people shouting slogans who sailed into port last summer and have
now returned. To many, they fail to understand the cultural significance of whale hunting to the average Icelander and make mountains out of molehills by protesting the killing of a mere 25 minke
whales (down from 36 last summer). Some have even gone so far
as to say that they’ve fabricated some of their evidence. A couple of
whaling ships were sunk in Reykjavík harbour in 1986, for which
some have blamed Greenpeace.
Why then does Frode Pleym,
campaign director for Greenpeace in
Iceland, say: “This year our response
has been so positive and receptive,
it’s been almost boring.”
I was taken on board the Esperanza, the Greenpeace ship sitting in
Reykjavík harbour, by Irene Berg,
the web editor for Greenpeace. I was
introduced to Marcee Benson, one of
Greenpeace’s “cyber-activists”.
A cook happily chopped the
legs off of a whole lamb
We went below deck, to the galley,
where a cook happily chopped the
legs off of a whole lamb, in preparation for the evening meal. Soon
Frode Pleym joined us and when
questioned about some of the accusations made against Greenpeace in the
past, his response was, “Greenpeace
has a long history. Any organisation
which has been around as long as
we have is bound to make mistakes
and do stupid things. But two things
need clarifying. Firstly, a documentary claiming that the clubbing
of baby seals was a hoax by a Mr.
Guðmundsson was rejected by the
Oslo City Court as being unsubstantiated. Second, it was not Greenpeace that sunk a whaling ship but
Sea Shepherd. That group was run
by a former member of Greenpeace
who was thrown out for having ideas
which run counter to our agenda of
peaceful action.”
Pleym discussed the “scientific purposes” given by the Icelandic government for whaling: “The main reason
given has been to find out what
whales eat. This can be done without
killing them, first of all. Second, if
they see the minke whales as a threat
to the fish stocks, they would need
to kill at least 25% of them before
it would have any effect on the fish
population, which most Icelanders
agree is an unsustainable number of
whales to kill. In addition, it doesn’t
address the real threats to the fish
stock, such as climate change and sea
pollution - two things which both
Iceland and Greenpeace are acting in
cooperation with each other to end.”
Why are some Icelanders trying
so hard to continue whaling?
If all this is true, why are some
Icelanders trying so hard to continue whaling? “Apart from Kristján
Loftsson, head of a whaling company
Hvalur hf. having a lot of political power, there is also a conflict of
interest,” says Pleym, “Hafró
Here comes
Esperanza
by Robert Jackson
The thought of an explosive charge in a whale’s brain unsettles
me as it does most others. There are few more emotive sights than a
harpooned whale; it’s up there along with the clubbed seal and the
tusk-less elephant in the top ten images of inhuman cruelty. They
are powerful tools and should be used sagely. In the wrong hands
their pornographic effect can be used to manipulate and deceive. The
prospect of a few whales being culled is good news for Greenpeace
and the IWF for they provide an opportunity to raise awareness and
fundraise, hence the arrival of Esperanza.
Good and evil, Walt Disney
style
Greenpeace are no strangers to specious science and emotive argument;
the sort that lumps all whales into
one category and all whalers the
other. Good and evil as Walt Disney
would tell it. Whales are not all the
same; there are many different species. Some eat fish, some don’t, some
are big, some are small, some live
Parliament
was called to a
special summer
session and
have proposed
a revised media bill. There are
no clear rules for a referendum
and the rules are even less clear
about what happens when a bill is
revised after one has been called.
in the Northern hemisphere, some
the Southern, some are endangered,
some are not. For the avoidance of
doubt the minke whale is not endangered. There has been a worldwide
ban on whale hunting of all species
since 1989, however, scientific culling
is permitted.
Iceland has one of the world’s last
productive fishing grounds. Its ter-
Teenagers think it “uncool” to
call parents
Research
among Reykjavík teenagers has now
conclusively
proven that
they think it “uncool” to call their
parents. Among other findings are
that it is considered “cool” to be
able to write text messages quickly
and talk a lot on the phone. The
science world is still waiting to see
how this will affect previously held
opinions of the species.
No fatalities at Metallica concert
H.S.
Marcee’s approach to encouraging
the end of whaling is more diplomatic than confrontational. She has
collected the testimonies of over
57,000 people who said they would
seriously consider vacationing in
Iceland rather than somewhere else
if Iceland halts whaling. Greenpeace
intends to hand over the e-mails of
all of these people to various tourist industries in Iceland when the
whaling stops. According to their
website, what this could mean for
Iceland in terms of real money would
be over $10 million dollars per year
in tourist revenue, even if only 15%
of these pledges actually visited
Iceland - a percentage which most
travel agencies confirm is a realistic
expectation. As most Greenpeace
members are consumate travellers
by nature, this percentage would
probably be much higher. Iceland’s
annual commercial whaling, at its
peak, brought in only $4 million.
Referendum in doubt
[Hafrannsóknarstofnun, a marine
research group] also happens to be
a part of the Ministry of Fisheries.
Hardly an independent source of
information on the whale’s effect on
fish stocks.”
Greenpeace is doing a lot to live
down their “angry protestor” image.
Pleym says: “We don’t want our message to be, ‘You must stop whaling
now!’ but rather, ‘It would be wise for
you to stop’. To this end, the tourist
industry in Iceland has actually been
the strongest voice of protest against
whaling. By the Ministry of Fisheries
own figures, the average Icelander
ritorial waters that stretch 200 miles
around its coastline provide Europe
and particularly the UK with its cod.
What the environmentalists seem to
overlook is that the Icelanders have
managed their fisheries and seen
them increase over the last decade,
while others have presided over the
virtual annihilation of their territorial
fish-stocks.
It is just not realistic to assume that
this scientific cull is the Icelandic
way of finding a backdoor into
commercial whaling. In years to
come, if on the balance of scientific
evidence they see their fishery is
being affected by the presence of
minke whales, then it is probable
that they’ll wish a more extensive
cull. But, so it is with elephant herds
in Zimbabwe, where protection has
been such a success that they are now
destroying food stocks for other less
voracious species.
They come here to eat
It is estimated, and estimates will
vary up to 50 per cent plus or minus
when it comes to counting whales,
eats only about 0.05 kilos of whale
meat each year. By contrast, whale
watching in Húsavík is booming.
Hundreds of people all over Iceland
enjoy whale watching every day. We
want to act more as a partner with
Iceland, rather than an opponent.”
Four people
were transported to
emergency
care at the
hospital and roughly a hundred
were given aid by emergency
workers on the spot at a presentation by American corporation
Metallica at Egilshöll. The arena
was opened to let more air in as it
got stifling hot, which may have
contributed to the absence of
fatalities.
The Greenpeace office in Iceland
will be open until mid-July. Those
wishing to learn more can visit their
website at www.greenpeace.org
that there are in the order of 43,000
minke whales in Icelandic territorial waters. Minke whales are an
odd mixture, for although they are
filter-feeding, baleen, they will eat
fish and squid, and, although they
are migratory, they will also establish
home ranges. So, they not only eat
fish, but also the food that fish eat.
They dine off the entire length of the
food chain if you like, and monitoring the food chain is an essential
part of fishery management, and you
can’t find out with certainty what
a minke is eating without looking
into its stomach. A cull of 27 minkes
represents less than 0.01 per cent of
the total Icelandic minke population. The cull falls into insignificance
when measured against the global
population of minke whales.
The Icelandic economy relies on its
fish exports. Their fisheries cover an
area of over 500,000 square miles
and, as far as it is possible to manage
an area of open sea that size, are
meticulously monitored and managed. Whales come to Iceland to
feed, some consuming over three-
quarters of their annual food intake
while they are here. Iceland has a
legitimate right to run its fisheries as
it thinks best, and if that involves the
cull of minke whales, then so be it.
What about the tourists
Where Iceland has got it wrong is
how they are going about it. Their
second most important source of
revenue is tourism. Not only does
Iceland export most of its fish to the
UK but it also imports the bulk of
its tourists from here, too. The cull
started at the beginning of the tourist season when whale watching is at
its peak and as minke whales overwinter in territorial waters, there is
no reason for the cull to coincide
with the tourist migration.
Yes, there will be 27 less whales to
watch in Iceland at the end of the
summer but that is hardly the point.
There will also be Icelandic cod well
into the foreseeable future, there
will be minke whales in abundance
and, hopefully next year, Greenpeace
will find a more worthwhile venue
for its fundraising and promotional
activities.
8
THE MIDGARD SERPENT LIVES
by Erna Kaaber
�� �����
For thousands of years the giant serpent has surfaced in mythol-
ogy. Past cultures have described him as, among other things, the
swirling protector of the earth and the destroyer of the gods. The
creature is thought to dwell in the oceans, swimming his course in
the period of a thousand years and girdles the world holding his tail
in his mouth. Recently, our new myth-makers, the scientists, have
rediscovered the beast, giving him a brand new name - the Conveyor belt.
Not long ago men discovered how
the ocean currents flow in counter
directions, on the surface and
beneath. All the world´s oceans are
connected by this mechanism of
nature. The weather and our wellbeing are derived from this ‘great
serpent’. The warm water flows to
the North Atlantic, ensuring a mild
climate which cools and sinks north
of Iceland. In currents in the sea
depths the water travels and will
not surface again until it reaches the
Indian Ocean or the Pacific. From
there it travels back in a seemingly
endless circle. Or is it indeed
endless?
The end of our civilisation
“Conveyor belt” is not a fancy name,
at least not as fancy as earlier cultures
gave this luring serpent that encircles
the earth. It had elegant names as
Nü-Kua, Tiamat and Aido-Hwedo
but here in Iceland those phenomena
were called Jörmundgandur or the
Midgard-serpent. The old myths tell
his tale. He was a tiny little creature
in the beginning, born of a giant
called Angur-boða, fathered by the
trickster Loki. He was thrown into
the oceans by Odin, the high god of
the old Scandinavian religion, where
it seems as though the mighty one
sealed his own fate.
Nobody knows for sure how
fragile the Conveyor belt is or how
any change in the flow of these
magnificent ocean rivers will reflect
upon the stability of tomorrow´s
climate. Those who fear the worst
see a new Ice Age and the end of
our civilisation as a result of any
disturbance of the Midgard serpent.
Elderly American mobbed by
Icelandic women
62 year old Harrison Ford went
out for a drink
at Thorvaldsen
one Friday night.
He was there
mobbed by a
group of elderly women who tried
to kiss and touch him and had to
be escorted out by doormen. He
then fled to Dillon, where the
younger patrons allowed him to
drink in peace.
The disturbances of Jörmungandur,
the Midgard Serpent, is a part of the
doomsday scenario described in the
old sayings of the “völvas”. Edda, the
collected sayings of the Scandinavian
myths, informs us that a giant winter,
Fimbulvetur, will come at the end
of times. It is supposed to last for
three years causing devastation to the
inhabitants of the world, changing
the climate dramatically. As the old
Prophecy has it:
It gorges upon the flesh of deathpromised men,
It bloodies the Gods seat;
Black will shine the sun
During next summers,
Awful all the storms.
Do you still need more?
Thor battles the Serpent
More is Ragnarök, the end of the
world as we know it (and I feel fine
-ed.). Men will be at each others
throats, the innocent will suffer and
dreadful giants will roam the earth
fighting the old Æsir-gods (I wonder
how REM feel about that -ed).
From the East drives Hrymur, lifts
up his shield;
Jörmungandur squirms with rage
Taken by the giants’ frenzy.
The great worm whips the waves
the pale-beaked eagle Niðfölur pecks
at the dead,
The ship of death Naglfari is free.
Odin himself is swallowed by the
Fenris-wolf and other gods drop
dead in as different ways as they
are many. The world-serpent,
Jörmungandur, twists and turns in
the ocean, causing a tidal wave and
Oddsson and Bush discuss
future of the NATO base
engages in the final battle with
Thor, the great warrior-son of the
earth, Fjörgyn. That great warrior
gives Jörmundgandur his final blow,
but Thor only manages to take nine
steps away from the grand serpent
corpse and there he drops dead
himself, unable to bear the venom
from the serpents mouth.
The next Ice Age
The weak spot in the ocean’s
conveyor belt is north of Iceland.
Scientists worry that rapidly melting
arctic ice will result in a huge
increase in the flow of fresh and cold
currents from the north. This in
turn could disrupt the conveyor belt
or possibly push south the northern
sink. That could again lead to the
next Ice Age, with permafrost in
most parts of Northern America
and Europe. The worst thing is that
scientists have a hard time settling
their differences on whether this will
be a gradual change, taking decades,
or whether this will not materialise
in hundreds or thousands of years.
Then again, there is evidence, for
example from the core drilling to the
bottom of Greenland Glacier, that
climate changes can be sudden.
If there is any consolation, the
Old Norse mythologies promised a
fair afterlife, although very few made
it as almost the entire population was
wiped out of existence.
It is only a little more than a decade
ago that wise men of our time
discovered the interconnectedness
of the world oceans and how life
on earth draws its life from this
magnificent mechanism. Honest
scientists will admit that the
elements of this ocean serpent are
still hidden from them. Most will
admit as well that even a slight
disturbance of Jörmungand could
have a tremendous impact on
our lives. If man by his actions is
disturbing the peace of the serpent,
he might have sacrificed too much.
Odin, possibly thinking as a true
environmentalist might have, had
this in mind when he says in his
poem: “Better not to pray at all, than
to sacrifice too much. A gift requires
a gift in return”.
Or do we still need more?
I
celand is no longer the isolated nation it once was and as the
world gets smaller, some of the harder facts of life for many in this
world have made it to our fair shores. In response to this, many
Icelanders have been active in charities, volunteer work, and human
rights issues. It was this growing spirit of “we have to do something”
which lead to the formation of the Icelandic division of Amnesty
International thirty years ago.
Amnesty International also employs
what’s known as an “own country
rule”; for reasons of safety and
objectivity, a division of Amnesty
Whither the F-15s?
H.S.
Since 9/11, Amnesty International
has been very busy trying to ensure
that human rights are not sacrificed
in the name of security, putting
Hringbraut,
which will
be moved off
its current
location to join
Miklabraut,
has involved the use of explosives,
much to the dismay of residents
in the area where the blasting is
being done, who have compared
the tremours to earthquakes. The
blasting, according to planners,
is supposed to end in a few days,
although no date has been set.
Þingvellir,
the site of
the world´s
first parliament in the
year 930, was formally added to
UNESCO´s list of world heritage
sites on 3 July at an international
meeting held in Suzhou, China.
Minister of Justice Björn Bjarnarson, who was in attendance,
described the meeting as “more
dramatic” then he´d expected.
by Paul Fontaine-Nikolov
particular focus on the prisoners
being held in Guantánamo Bay,
in Iraq, and in Afghanistan. Their
tactics are simple: the release of
one major report every year, several
smaller reports throughout the year,
and the well known letter-writing
campaign. By sending personal and
diplomatically-worded letters from
all over the world to authorities
detaining prisoners of conscience,
they convey the clear message, “We
know what you’re doing and we
want you to stop.” Surprisingly,
even ruthless dictators are concerned
about public relations, and Amnesty
International’s efforts have generally
been successful.
Hringbraut re-construction
quakes neighborhood
Þingvellir becomes part of
UNESCO world heritage list
Happy Birthday to Freedom
While the history of Amnesty
International in Iceland is a modest
one, what they’ve been able to
accomplish in this short time
is nothing short of remarkable.
Formally established on September
15, 1974 at the Nordic House,
the initial membership - brought
together through the efforts of
Sigrún Sigurjónsdóttir - numbered
a scant ninety-five. Since then,
membership has multiplied and
they’ve employed their tried-andtrue methods to free many political
prisoners, including a man held in
Syria for fifteen years before the
government finally agreed to release
him.
In a meeting
on July 6th in
Washington,
D.C. Prime
Minister Davíð
Oddsson and President George
W. Bush discussed the as-yet undetermined future of the NATO
base in Iceland. Bush said that his
administration still needs to gather
more information before making
any formal decisions, but that Iceland will continue to play in active
role in US foreign policy.
International cannot act in the
country to which it belongs.
Although there are exceptions to
this rule - such as in the United
States, where members there can
urge their own government to end
capital punishment - Iceland has
never appeared in an Amnesty
International report, so it remains
solidly focused on the world around
it and its numbers are growing.
There is no typical Amnesty
International volunteer; they
represent many different races,
religions and political points of view
- but they all share a deep concern
for human rights.
This summer, you might notice
young people walking the streets
in Amnesty International t-shirts.
These are members of Amnesty
International who are part of a new
“fact-to-face” method, wherein they
will personally encourage people to
take part in Amnesty International.
For you musicians out there who
are concerned about human rights,
Amnesty International is planning
on holding a 30th anniversary
concert in mid-September. All
interested bands should get in touch
with them now, as bookings are
filling up quickly.
Anyone interested in learning more
about Amnesty International can
visit either www.amnesty.org or
www.amnesty.is
While Prime Minister Davíð
Oddsson was able last May to
persuade the US to keep F-15
fighter planes that they planned to
withdraw from the NATO base,
he added that if air force personel
were to leave, navy personel would
have to leave, too, citing the need
for a clear committment from
the United States regarding their
presence in Iceland. The Bush administration has maintained that
the F-15s are needed elsewhere.
P
UN k
iS
e
D Ad
BUT THE PUNKS
LIVE ON
WELL
PHOTOS
HÖRÐUR SVEINSSON
by Valur Gunnarsson
For the true punk, self destruction often seems to be the ultimate form of self expression. True punks, it seems, rarely live
long. Punk bands that live long are even rarer.
Of course, the debate still rages as to what constitutes a
true punk. The bands that have subsequently been called punk
appeared in the US in the late 60´s, bands such as the Stooges,
The Velvet Underground and the MC5 being a very dark undercurrent to the peace and love generation. Punk first became
a movement in New York´s CBGB´s music venue, just at the
time the old 60´s supergroups were stagnating in a world of cocaine, lightshows and stadiums. Transported to the UK around
1976, punk became a mass movement. Whereas in New York it
had been a small group of artists who espoused punk, in Britain
it was picked up on by working class kids who through it voiced
their anger at an unjust class system. But politics and punk have
never made easy bedfellows. The Clash were one of the most
political of groups, whereas the Sex Pistols seemed to stand for
more general nihilism.
The first Icelandic punks
It took punk a while to come to Iceland. It wasn´t until
1979 that Fræbbblarnir, probably the first Icelandic punk band,
began appearing. Hótel Borg, which for a previous generation
had been an entertainment hall for the US army, among other
things, now became the most exciting live venue in the country.
At one of these concerts, a band called Utangarðsmenn opened
MOST OF THEM
ANYWAY
up for Fræbbblarnir, and immediately became a sensation.
Headed by Bubbi Morthens and the Pollock brothers, they
were a raw blues rock outfit that, almost by accident, landed
at the forefront of the rising movement. In their mid twenties,
they were almost a decade older than the punks. Although they
became by far the most popular of the new groups, something of
a rift developed between their left wing politics and the punks’
nihilism.
By 1982, they had split up into two bands, Ego, fronted
by Bubbi, and Bodies, of whom the Pollock brothers were
members. Bubbi was the obvious star, and a young director,
Friðrik Þór Friðriksson, set about making a documentary about
him. But as he got involved in the punk movement, the film
expanded to take in all the leading bands.
One of these was Purkkur Pillnik, fronted by Einar Örn
Benediktsson, who had been the Utangarðsmenn manager even
though only 17 at the time. Another was Tappi Tíkarass, whose
singer was a certain Björk Guðmundsdóttir. Probably the most
musically accomplished of the groups was Þeyr, who appear in
the film in full Nazi regalia, marching outside the president´s
home at Bessastaðir. They were close to making it in Britain,
but apparently most people didn´t get the joke of their outfits.
On the other end of the scale is Sjálfsfróun, the punk band
most true to the spirit of punk, right down to being barely able
INTERVIEWS
PADRAIG MARA
to play their instruments. Being barely 14 at the time, they sport
Mohawks and smash their instruments. Their song Lollipop, as
catchy as it is simple, was the first (and in some cases only) song
many succeeding punks ever learnt to play.
The punks conquer the world
It is interesting to note that none of the bands in Rokk í
Reykjavík, barring reunions, lasted very long. Within two years
all of them had disappeared from the scene, many into a haze
of drugs. It is interesting to note that here, initially, the punks
drug of choice was hash, probably because it was the most easily
accessible. Punk in Iceland reeked of hash and fish, giving it a
very Icelandic quality. It was perhaps the highpoint of Icelandic
music. Whereas the hippies here copied foreign bands and at
times made embarrassing attempts to conquer the world, the
punk generation eventually succeeded in doing just that. The
leading members of the punk scene eventually formed the band
The Sugarcubes together, the first Icelandic band to make an
impact abroad. Björk then became an international superstar in
her own right. The director, Friðrik Þór Friðriksson, went on
to win an Oscar nomination and has become probably Iceland´s
most esteemed director both here and abroad. Bubbi, the star of
the film, failed to become an export product, but he´s certainly
made his mark here, being Iceland´s most consistently best
selling artist. He´s also a boxing commentator, Idol judge and
children´s book author. As for how he´s doing, turn to page 28.
But how is everyone else?
Rokk í Reykjavík band: Þeyr
Best known for: Playing the guitar on Killer Boogie until his fingertips bled
I spoke with God Christ in an art museum in the center of town. He was,
and is, one the most groundbreaking guitarists that Iceland has produced.
God Christ produced a fold-out pamphlet that accompanied Þeyrs first 7”
release. On the second page is an incredibly intricate electronic schematic.
“It’s the quantum mechanics of music,” he says, “I had Einstein and Jimi
Hendrix for my heroes. We were basically fed up with the crap
on the radio, all of it with at most 3 chords, with only slightly
different lyrics, it was brainwashing people. If you always hear
the same sounds, the brain can not form new thoughts. We
wanted to revolutionize people. Every society needs a hippie
and a punk revolution. It may do other parts of the world
good to have theirs.”
Guðlaugur was a founding member of Sugarcubes predecessor Kukl. After its demise, he turned his attention to quantum
mechanics relating to thermal electric discoveries, and has been a sessionist on many albums by
other artists, notably Megas.
GUÐLAUGUR KRISTINN ÓTTARSSON
GOD CHRIST
Rokk í Reykjavík band: Tappi Tíkarrass
Best known for: Playing the cello bare chested
Current profession: Punk rock scientist, musician
EYÞÓR ARNALDS
Part performance art group, part punk band,
Tappi Tíkarass’s performance in Rokk í Reykjavík
shows a very young Björk dressed and painted as a living
doll banging on a drum. The man who sang duet with
her in the film is Eyþór.
“Icelandic punk was not a copy, it was a very authentic scene. Tappi
Tíkarrass was a good example of this. We had all the energy England
had but the art was purely Icelandic. Icelandic history also I think affected the sound. We were a colony of Denmark, then for a long time
even after independence, things were very strict, like Eastern Europe
almost. There was a special tension building, the punk scene here was a
release of that tension.”
Björk, of course, ascended to the heavens after the film. Jakob the bassist has been playing with Bubbi for many years and has joined Ego’s
reunion. Eyjólfur the guitarist, imports hi-fi equipment for television
and radio.
Eyþór soon quit TT and went to study cello and classical composing.
Upon graduating he forms the band Todmobile, which becomes one of
the biggest bands in Iceland. When the band quits he becomes director of the phone company Íslandssími and runs for the town council for
the independence party. He is still a businessman, but Todmobile had a
reunion and made an album with the Icelandic Symphony orchestra.
Current profession: Businessman
Rokk í Reykjavík band: Sjálfsfróun
Best known for: Trying to keep the beat while
string instruments are being trashed at the front of
the stage
SIGTRYGGUR
BALDURSSON
Rokk í Reykjavík band: Þeyr
Best known for: Bringing Icelandic punk to the world
Þeyrs´ music was frenetic and dramatic in a distinct way. The
band boasted some of the best musicians in the land.
“We started as a bar band, then we became influenced by
post-punk bands like Joy Division, Siouxise and the Banshees,
of course the Sex pistols as well...but our sound was very distinct, we were thought to be very left field for the time. Here
it was more of an art movement than a punk movement...
it was more about energy. Everyone felt like they could do
SOMETHING... be a part of SOMETHING. We were
all very inexperienced, but we were being clumsy in a
special way.”
Sigtryggur played in the bands Kukl and Sugarcubes after Þeyr and conquered the world.
After the Sugarcubes came to an end he
formed the crooner persona Bogomil
Font, which became a huge success in Iceland. He moved along with his wife to the US
and then Holland, but has recently returned to Iceland. His current projects include the
world music band Steintryggur and producing a Kurt Weill opera this summer.
Current profession: Musician, producer, (as Bogomil Font) crooner
FRIÐRIK ERLINGSSON
Purrkur Pillnikk was one of the most popular and influential bands from
this period. Three members of Purrkur, Einar Örn, Friðrik and Bragi would
later go on to join the Sugarcubes.
“Einar came back from London with God Save the Queen and played it for
us. This changed everything. We formed Purrkur Pillnikk to play a concert
at a local high school, we slapped together nine songs the night before and
just did it. This was in March of ‘81. On April 1st we went into a studio and
recorded an entire album in one day. That was the feeling of the time. Like
Einar was known to say “It’s not what your able to, but what you actually
do that matters.” It was music for the moment, music for now.” Einar Örn,
Purrkur’s singer continues to blow minds and speakers with his creation
Ghostigital. Bragi, the groups archivist went on to be a writer and poet.
Ásgeir the bands drummer was last heard of training dogs in Norway. Friðrik
went on to work for an advertising agency and write books. His best known
book is the children´s book Benjamín Dúfa, which has also been made into
a film. He´s also written the script for Iceland´s first CGI cartoon, Litla ljóta
lirfan.
Current profession: Writer
VALGARÐUR GUÐJÓNSSON
Rokk í Reykjavík band: Fræbbblarnir
Best known for: Bringing punk rock to Iceland
JÓNBJÖRN ÓTTARSSON
Sjálfsfróun, meaning masturbation in English, were
the lost boys of the early 80’s punk scene in Reykjavík. With an average
age of 14 years of age, the leather jacketed mohican crew played the role
to the glue-sniffing trouble-making hilt. If many of the other bands had
artistic tendencies, Sjálfsfróun adopted the image and attitude of British bands like the U.K. Subs and the Exploited. Street Punk was their
medium and their message.
“What can I say? That was how it was. It’s not as if this was an act. We
were being ourselves completely. Either you were punk or you were
disco. Bubbi, the Pollocks, Einar Örn, they started everything, we were
the little brothers...no one wanted to talk to us.”
Of the band members, Bjarni móhíkani became a sailor. He could often
be seen playing around Reykjavík, but is currently living in Denmark.
Siggi resides at the Reykjavík mental asylumn. Pési the bass player, who
was fired from the band shortly before the film was made, od´d in Amsterdam. Jónbi works in construction these days.
Current profession: Rock and Roller
Rokk í Reykjavík band: Purrkur Pillnikk
Best known for: Standing immobile on stage while Einar
Örn rolled around on the floor
Fræbbblarnir had two songs featured on RíR, both blistering. They reformed and have continued to record and perform to this day in slightly
modified form. They attached little value to social commentary in their
music. Was the scene in Iceland divided along class lines?
“We were from the wrong class for Punk, people felt...we weren´t poor
enough. Many people were into Punk for political reasons...this was not
appealing to us. We felt it was much more fun to say something out of
line than make a social statement.”
Do you think that Punk changed anything in your eyes?
“It made Rock fun again, it brought back the aggression and intensity,
like the early days of Rock and Roll twenty years before. But, as for
society, I don’t see that it changed anything.” Out of the original mebers
shown in RíR the drummer Stefán is the only one who remains in the
band. Steinþór died, Tryggvi went back to school and Kristinn opened
up a restaurant. Current profession: Software engineer
DANNY POLLOCK
Rokk í
Reykjavík band: Bodies
Best known for: Having fistfights with his
brother on stage when the latter tried to
trash guitars
Danny Pollock was around from the beginning of Icelandic Punk, guitarist for Utangarðsmenn, the biggest band on the scene,
and then Bodies, the band that appeared in
Rokk í Reykjavík.
“When we were in Utangarðsmenn we
went to the manager of Hótel Borg and
asked if we could play on Thursday nights
as there was nothing happening then. We
advertised and 800 people showed up...
that got the ball rolling right there. Me
and Einar Örn went out and found all these
garage bands to play with us.”
How would you explain the popularity the
movement here had, whereas in America for
instance punk was a very marginal movement?
“Mostly because of it’s size. I mean if you fart in this corner over here they’re gonna smell
it over there. It had a tremendous impact on the society. What we sang about began to be
discussed in the newspapers and analyzed in the University.” Mike Pollock, Danny’s brother
and fellow guitarist, is still a working musician. Maggi, Bodies drummer has recently
joined up with a newly formed Ego and has also found God and has been working with the
church. Danny has dedicated his life to rock and roll and is currently running a rehearsal
space for bands located in an old fish factory.
Current profession: Rehearsal space manager
COLUMN
WHERE IS THE MULTICULTURAL
SOCIETY
by Hassan Harazi
Experience
up close
the adventure of whale watching
Call us now
555 3565
or visit
www.elding.is
Daily departures from Reykjavík
July
9:00
13:00
17:00
Aug Sept Oct
9:00 9:00
13:00 13:00 13:00
17:00
MIXA
•
fít
•
01464
Elding Whale Watching
Reykjavík, Iceland • Tel: (+354) 555 3565
Fax: (+354) 554 7420 • [email protected]
A man named Hassan has been
sending us letters, his output putting
most of our (barely) paid writers to
shame. We like him so much we´re
giving him a column. But we´re not
paying him. At least not yet.
If G. Pomrenke travelled from
Virginia, USA expecting to engage
in the social and cultural activities
and expected to find them Icelandic/
Nordic and not African, and
presumably disappointed, it would
be very easy just to infer that he/she
was some sort of racist/bigot/white
supremacist or whatever, and dismiss
his/her opinions as such. What
might be more useful would be to
seek to understand why he/she was
obviously under the impression
that Iceland was not a multicultural
society, if indeed it is. It may have
something to do with how Iceland
is marketed to potential tourists
in other countries by the Icelandic
Tourist Board and Icelandair. If
tourists are sold holidays which
promise to take them to the Land of
the Vikings/Sagas/Fire and Ice/most
beautiful women in the world who
all have long blonde hair/a place
where the language has remained
unchanged for centuries, then why
should they not be confused when
they find a black woman wearing
the national costume, kids wearing
American sportswear and rapping
and everyone else traipsing around
shopping malls while talking on
mobile telephones?
As for Reykjavík being a
multicultural city, where is it? It
seems to me that the City council
and a fair number of its inhabitants
would like Reykjavík to be thought
of as a multicultural city simply
because of a desire to be ‘more like
other European cities’. It takes
more than a handful of ‘ethnic’
restaurants, shops selling Moroccan
slippers and Tai Chi classes. Where
are the mosques, synagogues,
halal and kosher butchers, Diwali
celebrations, and the acceptance of
these things that a true multicultural
society has? It appears more like,
“We like your food, nice fabrics
and music, but not your traditions,
customs and you”. And at the heart
of it all, an immigration policy that
discriminates on race.
Reykjavík and Iceland have a lot to
offer tourists - it does actually have
a history from 1700 to the present
day - but it seems not many people
want to make a feature of it. Could
it be because a lot of it is not very
glamorous or fits in very well with
the romantic ideals that they assume
tourists are seeking? In my opinion
the history of Iceland of the past
300 years is far more interesting and
has done more to shape the modern
Iceland than anything the Vikings
did.
I found the article about
protesting very interesting, but
surely Reykjavíkians are amongst
the world leaders in non-violent
civil disobedience. I was under the
impression that all protests took the
form of wearing a t-shirt, for one
day only, emblazoned with a slogan
such as “Men say no to rape”, or “I
am a feminist”. Or maybe, if it’s not
raining, even a gathering outside the
Parliament when it’s empty. And
surely the police never have to worry
about dragging away protestors as
come 7pm they all go home for
dinner anyway.
The photograph with the article
shows a poster (a reference to the
dam construction at Kárahnjúkar),
which reads; “It is the duty of all
countrymen to protect the country
from their government.” Following
Birgir Örn Thoroddsen’s comment
in issue #3 complaining of ‘the
population’s inability to protest
against anything’, and Guðbergur
Bergsson’s interview in The
Guardian Weekend Magazine
of November 29, 2003 in which
he states: “If the international
community can show them
[Icelanders] how truly ridiculous it
is to destroy nature, the very thing
they love most, for one aluminum
smelter, they may start to think
for themselves. They might finally
have the guts to speak up and tell
their dictatorial government how
absolutely they have got this wrong.
You have to shame us into change.”
Then surely a more appropriate
poster would read, “It is the duty of
all non-Icelanders to protect Iceland
from the Icelanders.”
For any tourists that would like to
see this part of the country, there is
now a range of postcards available.
Reykjavík City Shot
lfss
Ing
ó
Arnarhóll
Hve
rfis
gat
a
Ban
kas
træ
ti
Læ
kja
r
ga
ta
Lækjartorg
træ
ti
r
egu
sv
fn
lko
a
K
H.S.
April May June
9:00 9:00 9:00
13:00 13:00 13:00
17:00
H.S.
Take part in an adventure at sea with an unforgettable trip
into the world of whales and sea birds. Aboard the Elding I,
you have a fantastic 360-degree panoramic view, plus a
spectacular view into the deep blue sea. Located in Reykjavík´s
old harbour, only a 20-minute journey can bring you up
close to whales in their natural habitat.
The Grapevine is happy to accept
submissions for the city shot.
FASHION
13
Mother tongue licks t-shirts into shape
by Anna Koskinen
Armed with a diction-
H.S.
ary, you can go shopping for the
perfect little tee to say the thing
that’s right on the tip of your
tongue.
First came the badges.
Slapped on caps and bags, they
made their first appearance with
simple slogans and names of
bands, then turned into political opinions in the seventies
and obscenities in the eighties.
Slogans were born to express the
unexpressable: “make love not
war,” “say yes to jesus,” “handle
with care.” You would rarely
tell a stranger that you are with
stupid, but you might very well
have a badge saying it for you on
the lapel of your jacket.
Then the slogans moved on. They
took over t-shirts and scarves,
shoes and shoestrings, bangles and
backpockets of jeans. The t-shirt,
which was considered underwear
until liberated by James Dean and
Marlon Brando, finally had something to say. Since those days of
simple coolness, the t-shirt has had
a bit of a downfall, having become a
target for advertisements and logos.
People have been there, done that,
and bought the t-shirt, then kept
on wearing the t-shirt for the whole
world to know of their Las Palmas
experience of 1994.
But now t-shirts are making a comeback. In the last year, the amount
of t-shirts with slogans in Icelandic
have doubled, if not tripled. There is
a huge selection for anyone willing
to take their pick and say what they
want without actually having to utter
a word - simply by displaying their
opinions on their chests, printed on
their t-shirts. The messages range
from downright political opinions to
simple but accurate and matter-offactly (or in some cases deceiving)
statements such as “ég er fullur” - I
am drunk.
Icelanders have always had pride in
their language, guarded it and looked
after it by trying to avoid foreign influences and come up with their own
words instead of simply borrowing
others’. The power is in the words,
in the language, as it is inheritance
from the past generations, the
forefathers who first inhabited the
country. Words contain history, and
now they are making their appearance in t-shirts, ties and tops across
the country. The major players of
this new wave of slogan-embellished
clothing are Jón Sæmundsson with
his label Dead (available at Nonnabúð) and the Laugavegur-based
shop Ósóma, both proudly displaying their philosophical and more
down-to-earth wordplay for the
whole world to see.
The trick of these clothes is that
they work in many different levels,
thus making them wearable for a
wide range of people. Rock stars as
well as teenagers wear them, and the
tourists buy them for the hipness of
sporting a secret slogan that nobody
back home can understand. This, of
course, makes it easier to wear indecent or shocking words on your chest
without anybody actually knowing
about it or being offended by it. For
all those who get their kicks out of
being bad without getting caught.
WONDERINGS
THE NEXT BIG THING
A
fter punk, Icelandic music suddenly became something that was taken seriously on the international stage. The Sugarcubes made it. Then, about a decade later, came Sigurrós. Who´s next?
Plays a type of music
that´s very hard to define but apparently goes
well down in Japan and
recently played at the
Sonar festival in Spain.
He´s an actual one man band, which must cut down on
touring costs. He currently resides in Ísafjörður, where
he´s working on further masterpieces. His wrote the
soundtrack to upcoming movie Niceland.
sigurjon.com
mugison
probably sports more tattoos than all other
More blatantly rock than anyone has dared to be since Guns n´ Roses, and
They´re often away touring in Europe
Icelandic bands put together. Which probably says a lot about their music.
may or may not be working on another
They
11.
Bar
these days, perhaps because they´ve exceeded their credit limit in
album.
H.S.
Actually a one man band by
Barði Jóhannsson who plays
with various combinations
of sidemen. His cover of
Stop in the Name of Love
by the Supremes was played
a lot on MTV in France, and he´s been spending a lot of time there
lately. He says his version is much better than the Supremes. Apparently the French seem to agree.
Have a sideband called the God Damn Skunks, of which
one review began: “The evening began with forty minutes
of feedback, interrupted briefly when the drummer stood up
and beat a drum a couple times, then wandered off saying
he needed his drugs.” Big in New York, apparently. Their
next album, My Life is Killing my Rock and Roll, comes
out at the end of July.
The President likes them. So
do Central European duchess. If they can get their own
brand of stripping down and
throwing smokebombs to
appeal to the handclapping,
as opposed to the jewelrattling classes as well, they´ve
got it made. Their latest album, Trabant at Bessastaðir,
is available in 12 Tónar at
Skólavörðustígur 15.
���������
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I met with Birgir, Palli and
Eggert of Maus the day before
they opened for Placebo.
by Bart Cameron
Since winning a battle of
Icelandic bands in 1994, Maus
has been a staple of the music
scene in this country. They
have been so consistent for so
long that they are the band
that is invisible because they’re
right in front of you. After
11 years of playing one of the
world’s smallest countries, the
band had some interesting
observations.
...continued on pg. 18
TH E W IT AN D
W ISDOM OF MAU S
15
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GUIDE TO THE CITY CENTER
16
This pullout has all the information one might need, so for a safer journey,
pull it out and put it in your pocket.
CAFE´S
4. Café Roma
1. Segafredo
Is the closest thing you’ll find to a New York deli in town. A lively
cross-section of artists, students and office workers enjoy home baked
pannini and great coffee all at low prices.
Laugavegur 118
Klapparstígur 30
12. Café 22
“Welcome to the Jungle/ We g
With tropical palm trees on the
welcome to the party that neve
ending any time soon. Usually
or want to be students of the Ic
musicians and other members o
floor, for whatever reason, look
Grandagarður 10
By the harbor where fishermen and sailors along with bus drivers and
aging tough guys gather for lunch and a cup of coffee. If you want to try
out traditional Icelandic food, pancakes, or bread with smoked lamb,
this is the right place to see another side of Reykjavík.
Once a ferry, Café Árnes has recently been turned into a coffeeshop
by day and seafood restaurant by night. The cardeck in the basement
now functions as a bar. Situated by the harbour (obviously), have a
traditional waffle with lots of jam and cream and watch the whale
watchers come in.
Has recently undergone a major facelift. The top floor is now dedicated
to artist Jón Sæmundur, aka Dead, whose Dead label can be seen on
quite a few people these days. Downstairs is a decent bistro (try the
Gringo), whereas the middle floor houses a dancefloor. Open until the
wee small hours, and a great place for a late night drink for those who
want drink along with a less trendy (and perhaps more cool) crowd. Be
warned, though, they do charge 500 krónur entrance after midnight.
The cheapest beer in Reykjavík
drinkers as well as expats. Trou
covers though. In the weekend
large dancefloor on the upper f
midnight on weekends.
7. Café Paris
10. Bleika Dúfan
13. Kaffibarinn
16. Vegamót
Skólavörðustígur 3a
An Icelandic tradition since 1958, Mokka is the oldest café in Reykjavik
and the first one to make coffee with an espresso machine. The walls
are covered with art for sale and, though seats are usually filled by loyal
customers, every now and then you’ll catch a glimpse of the owners, a
really nice and friendly couple in their seventies who have owned the
café since its inception.
6. Kaffivagninn
With the exception of Mokka, Tíu Dropar is the oldest café in
downtown Reykjavik. The place has a very special feel to it, the decor,
the tables and the chairs, along with the service makes you feel very
much at home. It’s almost like your sitting down for a cup of coffee in
your grandma’s kitchen. The menu is limited, but has the advantage of
constant changes, with new items every day.
Laugavegur 22
9. Café Árnes
By the harbour
Austurstræti 14
Situated in the heart of the city with a view over Austurvöllur, spacious,
popular and usually full in the afternoon, Café Paris is international like
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Bergstaðastræti 1
Laugavegi 21
The name means the Pink Pigeon. A bookstore that specialises in
books in English, so there are a lot of foreigners there as well as people
who work in the surrounding area. A mostly veggie menu (apart from
the ham and cheese sandwich) and internet.
Kaffibarinn is Cool Reykjavik, or at least tries to be. Reykjavik prides
itself on having more artists per capita than any other capital in the
world, and the crowd here seem to be trying to prove the point, with
musicians, actors and writers ranging from the hopefuls to the world
famous. Blur’s Damon Albarn owns a share of the bar, probably figuring
15. Nelly’s
Þingholtsstræti 2
Vegamótastígur 4
Wants to be the inspot to be se
up, flaunt it and enjoy the view
there, and the fittest, or at least
Kitchen open every day until 2
brunch. Try the lobster pizza.
17. Kaffibrennsla
Pósthússtræti 9
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In the garden behind Bar Sirkus is now an Amsterdam style mini-version
of a street flea market open on Saturdays where anyone can sell their used
stuff, clothes, LP’s, CD’s or whatever, and of course buy some themselves.
The prices are rather reasonable and you can haggle all you like. It may even
work. Open Saturdays, 14:00-19:00.
18. Celtic Cross
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19. Grand Rokk
Smiðjustígur 6
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A place true to the spirit of Ro
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three bands a night, four nights
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artists. Grab a beer and rock on
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few bars in Reykjavík where yo
after midnight on weekends. G
they are generous with the refil
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Grái Kötturinn is across the street from the National Theater and is
very small and very popular in the early hours of the day. A good place
to start a day the British way, with eggs and bacon and other traditional
breakfasts on the menu. The lunch menu is also inviting, but somewhat
pricey.
Laugavegur 27
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Hverfisgata 16a
14. Sirkus
Very long queues to get in, and once there, you wonder what the fuss
was about, or whether the queue was in fact the best part. When it’s
four o’clock on a Sunday morning and you’re still going strong, this
might be the place you’ll wind up, by which time you probably won’t
care that the same song seems to come on every half hour.
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3. Grái Kötturinn
Hverfisgata 20
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With view over the city pond, Ráðhúskaffi is situated inside the City
Hall. Coffee and great cakes as you enjoy the view. Free internet access
for costumers and, in the lobby of City Hall, you’ll find a big 80m2
model of Iceland.
11. Hverfisbar
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City Hall
8. Tíu Dropar
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5. Mokka
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McDonalds has departed from the centre of Reykjavík and instead
Italian chain Segafredo has arrived, which isn’t a bad trade-off. You can
smoke indoors, which gives you a nice continental feel, the staff is Italian and the prices are in Euros as well as krónur. Although Sega isn’t
one of the more expensive places, you wonder whether knowing how
much things cost might ruin your vacation.
BARS & BISTRO
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the city it’s named after.
In the mornings it is more quiet and a hangout for philosophers and
artists. Offers you light meals and the opportunity to sit outside when
the weather is nice.
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17
USEFUL PHONE NUMBERS
Useful for emergencies
nks all the time. Another owner is the
avík, and the bar figures prominently in
RESTAURANTS
FAST FOOD
20. Bar 11
31. Við Tjörnina
Templarasund 3
41. Nonnabiti
The most novel fish restaurant in Iceland. The owner, Chef Runar
Marvinsson, is known for innovative fish dishes made from a variety
of rare fish and shellfish and related raw materials. Mr. Marvinsson is
also a respected food and cooking personality and the author of several
cookbooks. His respect for his raw materials is a tribute to fish and
shellfish, showing off their natural goodness without artificiality. Chef
Marvinsson is really a natural wonder and a particular favourite with
Icelanders!
The owner is a miser who charges additionally for everything, but
this is almost certainly the best junk food in the Greater Reykjavík
area. The subs are great, none of that Subway commitment to healthy
living, and they probably contribute significantly to the ever-increasing
“size” of the nation. They also serve burgers and sandwiches, and have
lunchtime offers.
Internet Café’s
42. Little Mama Taco´s
Useful Websites
Laugavegur 11
got fun and games,” quoth the poet.
e outside and tropical heat on the inside,
er came to an end and doesn’t seem to be
full of regulars (many of whom are, were
celandic Academy of Arts) mixed with
of the city’s underground. The upper
ks like the inside of a bus.
The rock hangout, be it live music or the riff-heavy jukebox. Many of
Iceland’s rock bands are regulars. Bands play and/or poetry is recited
most Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, A good place to come
down on Sundays, with a screening of cult films.
21. Kaffi Kúltur
Hverfisgötu 18
For those who grow tired of seeing nothing but palefaces about town,
Kaffi Kúltur might be a pleasant diversion. During the day its something of a hangout for the actors from the National Theatre, just across
the street, but in the evening it is populated by both new and older Icelanders. They have multi-ethnic food and frequent concerts. Wednesday
night is tango night. Anyone can join in, but this is not a place to learn
as the regulars know their way around a dancefloor.
k, with tends to attract more experienced
ubadours play on most weekdays, mostly
ds a younger crowd comes in, and there’s a
floor. The prices do, however, go up after
The oldest house in Reykjavík is now, you guessed it, a gay club. Named
after founding father and national hero Jón Sigurðsson, who lived there
for a while, it now has various events, including concerts, plays and a
gay cabaret, performed on a small stage that tries its best to look big
with curtains and everything. So how long until they change George
Washington’s old place into a gay bar? You heard it here first.
an
23. Café List
beers in Reykjavik, but it’s still one of the
ou can attempt to maintain a conversation
Good coffee and, for those on a budget,
lls.
“List” means “art”, the art mostly consisting of jazz bands that play
there frequently. Looks perhaps more like a hotel bar than a seedy jazz
club, but the prices of beer has gone down, so they deserve our support.
24. Prikið
Bankastræti 12
Used to be a traditional coffee house which has been around longer
than any but, after a change of clientele, they now cater to a younger
crowd. A diner during the day and a nightclub on weekends. You can
also borrow games there, such as backgammon or chess.
25. Dillon
Laugavegur 30
A nice place to sit and chat, good folk themed music and no dance floor
to worry about. Has interesting horse themed décor, and the balcony is
open on the weekends. Finds a nice medium somewhere between the
hipsters and the drunks.
26. Dubliner
Means “the corner” and the place lives up to its name. This is actually
the oldest Italian restaurant in town, celebrating its 25th year, which
says something about the scene here before then. Excellent quality
pizza, pasta and salads and yet remaining one of the more affordable
ones. Try the calzone.
The city’s main Irish pub, which, as in many cities, means that it’s a
hangout for all sorts of foreigners. At the weekends there’s also a large
influx of locals, often of the slightly older variety. If you like the darker
stuff on tap, this is probably the best place to go.
CLUBS
Perhaps a typical off-lobby restaurant, bistro, bar in a four-star hotel,
the Vox looks at first glance like a fancy cafeteria spiced up for an
official reception. But please do not let that glance throw you off! The
restaurant has a modern interior with extremely un-Icelandic décor,
however the kitchen saves the situation. Run by a master chef, a recent
winner of the super gastro competition “Bocuse d’Or,” the Menu is
tops.
35. 3 Frakkar
Baldursgata 14
This is a restaurant that cannot be ignored. A very small place with
an atmosphere. Here you may enjoy the house specialties of Icelandic
traditional dishes prepared in the good, old-fashioned manner, including catfish, shark, and whale steaks. And of course much more. If you’re
lucky, Chef Ulfar Eysteinsson, the owner, may be present regaling the
clientele with wild whaling tales. Don’t forget to ask Chef Ulfar for
dark Icelandic pumpernickel bread with pure Icelandic butter, and don’t
forget to make a reservation!
36. Apotek
Formerly the central drugstore of Reykjavik, established in the late
1800s, the Apotek is now a modern restaurant with an Art Deco
interior. You can still see the names of the chief managing pharmacists/
owners on the wall of the bar. Today, this “drugstore” serves a different
type of milkshake. Now look for a sizzling visual kitchen (behind a
glass wall) with a Super Menu! Apotek is an eating experience not to
be missed.
37. Tapas
27. Gaukur á Stöng
Tryggvagata 22
Iceland’s oldest club is turning 20 this fall. During the day it’s a pool
pub and on weekday evenings there are live rock concerts by more
mainstream bands. On weekends there is usually a lot of action with
cover bands playing everything from Britney to the Beatles. Without
exception you’ll be charged at least 1000kr for entrance in the evenings.
Crowd: 20+
by Austurvöllur
Used to be a theatre, but is now a club. Great sound system and occasional live bands. The towns biggest club, but the high prices do limit
the crowd somewhat. Admission 1000 krónur.
Austurstræti 16
Situated on the 5th floor, and is only accessible by elevator. A place
where you can run into MP´s and business tycoons living it up. That
might be some indication of the price range. The candleholders, for
some inexplicable reason, are Turkish hashpipes. It´s only open Fridays
and Saturdays between 11 and 3.
30. Leikhúskjallarinn
One of those places that seem to be always open, and hence you find
yourself going to late on Saturday nights as consolation when it seems
inevitable you´ll be going home alone. And as consolations go, it´s
not bad. Rather reasonable by local standards, and they have all the
tortillaish Mexican standards.
43. Bernhöftsbakarí
Bergstaðastæti 13
A bakery with traditions going back some 150 years, although it has
changed locations. Apart from a supermarket, a bakery is still the best
way to fill your belly. Try the staple of Icelandic childhood and beyond:
a snúður roll with chocolate milk.
44. Bæjarins bestu
They claim to have the best hot dogs in town, and for once the product
lives up to the hype. Ask for one with everything, and you’ll get a dog
in a bun with ketchup, mustard, remulade (don’t ask), fried and raw
onion. The standard Icelandic hotdog, only somehow it tastes better.
45. Pizza 67
Tryggvagata 26
The local pizza chain that’s trying to take on the world, and who
currently operate a place in the Faeroes and China, as well as all over
Iceland. The have a Summer of Love theme, which doesn’t really
extend beyond the names of the pizzas, a few slogans and a few posters,
but the pizzas are nice. They also do deliveries. They have a lunchtime
buffet for 990, for those in search of quantity for the króna.
46. Eldsmiðjan
This is a new chain of eateries trying to move away from the American
image of pizza joints. Originally a local Napoli venture, now a string of
modestly cool restaurants striving to make it in Northern Europe. Iceland is one of the first places for Rossopomodoro outside Italy. A clever
beginning in a country absolutely free from Neopolitan traditions. A
modest wine list with good prices
Car rentals
ALP 562-6060
Avis 591-4000
Berg car rental 577-6050
Budget 567-8300
Europcar 591-4050
SBK car rental 420-6000
Other useful numbers
City bus info, 551-2700
BSÍ bus info, 591-1000
Post offices
Central Post office, Pósthússtræti 5, 101 Rvk. 580-1000.
Post offices are easily found around Iceland
Laundry Services
Emla laundry, Barónsstígur 3, 101 Rvk, 552-4799
A Smith laundry, Bergstaðastræti 52, 101 Rvk, 551-7140
Taxi services
Hreyfill-Bæjarleiðir 588-5522
Borgarbílastöðin 552-2440
BSR 561-0000
Rent a bike
Borgarhjól, Hverfisgata 50, 101 Rvk 551-5653
Reykjavík travel service, Lækjargata 2, 101 Rvk, 511-2442
Reykjavík Youth Hostel, Sundlaugarvegur 34, 105. Rvk.
533-8110
47. Vitabar
Bergþórugata 21
Actually a bar, but best known for its hamburgers. A burger with fries
for 500 is one of the best meal deals in town, but special mention must
go to the Forget-Me-Not blue cheese and garlic extravaganza. The
Viking beer always feels particularly cold and refreshing here.
48. First Vegetarian (Á næstu grösum)
49. Pizza Pronto
Laugavegur 40a
www.icetourist.is
www.visitreykjavik.is
www.grapevine.is
Oven-baked pizzas simply don’t get much better than this. It is slightly
more expensive than other pizzerias, but well worth it. A wide selection
of toppings, including that sorely missed pizza delight, snails. You can
also turn the chef loose and let him decide what goes on it - you’ ll
rarely be disappointed. Take away, order delivery, or eat in at the cosy
restaurant upstairs. The paintings are worth a peek as well.
38. Jómfrúin
In this global age, it can be hard to find good smörrebröd even in
Copenhagen. Never fear: out here in the colonies you can still find first
rate smörrebröd at Jómfrúin. They even import their own eel directly
from Denmark to make one of Scandinavia’s delicacies.
Ráðhúskaffi, City Hall, 101 Rvk. 563-2169
BSI, Vatnsmýrarvegur 10, 101 Rvk. 591-1000
Netkaffi, Kringlan mall, 103 Rvk. 533-2424
Reykjavík Travel Service, Lækjargata 2, 101 Rvk. 511-2442
Ground Zero, Vallarstræti 4, 101 Rvk. 562-7776
Bragagata 38a
Laugavegur 20b
For those with a bit of money and time on their hands, the evening
can hardly be better spent than at Tapas, where you can while away
the evening having course after course of wonderful miniature dishes.
Particularly recommended is the garlic-fried lobster and duck in apricot
sauce. If afterwards you don’t feel like getting up right away, there’s also
a rather large lounge to relax in, and the paintings are worth a look.
39. Rossopomodoro
29. Mojito bar
Lækjargata 8
Vesturgata 3b
Lækjargata 4
28. Nasa
Hafnarstræti 11
Tryggvagata
34. Vox
Austurstræti 16
Hafnarstræti 4
Hverfisgata 19
Seafood restaurant, although they also do land-based animals. At
lunchtime you can have a three course meal for 2300, which isn’t too
bad, all things considered. The chef has been awarded the Medal of the
Order of the White Rose by the President of Finland.
Nordica Hotel
Laugavegur 20a
ock ‘n’ Roll and bands that don’t do covers.
ndic bands play there, usually no less than
s a week. Whether they charge admission
f they do, all proceeds do go to starving
n! During the day this is a hangout for
Geirsgötu 9
Hafnarstræti 15
Aðalstræti 10
comes closest to deserving the title of
er tries harder. Except for the coffin in the
music almost every night, a troubadour
in the basement, both doing their best to
oxes.
32. Tveir Fiskar
33. Hornið
22. Jón Forseti
een, and succeeds to some degree. Dress
w as others do the same. It’s a jungle in
t the fittest looking, come out on top.
22. Specials of the day and weekend
Emergency phone 112 fire, police, ambulance
Emergency Ward, City Hospital 24hrs. 525-1000
Doctor: 1770
Dentist: 575-0505
Directory information 118
Pharmacies find your closest or call 118
chess players, challenging each other and anyone that might wander in
here for a game, as every table doubles as a chess board. One of the best
places to meet locals for a chat, every night of the week.
Used to be called One Woman Restaurant, as there was always the
same woman working there. Has new owners and a larger staff, but the
theme is still vegetarian, with one vegan and one wheat-free dish always
on offer. The only vegetarian restaurant licensed to carry beer and wine.
Remains on the right side of the 1000 krónur bill at lunchtime, slips
slightly over in the evening.
Vallarstræti 4
Conveniently located by Ingólfstorg, and serves slices until late at night.
A good place to have a snack in between bars, particularly if you don’t
want a whole Hlölli. They also have a menu (in 9 languages, no less) of
three sizes of pizzas with a good selection of toppings. Nice, but seems
a bit pricey for the surroundings.
50. Reykjavík Bagel Company
Laugavegur 81
Situated a bit from the immediate centre but close to Hlemmur busstop. Bagels, wraps and coffee that might make you feel better in the
morning than the more hardcore fast foods farther down the street.
40. Tjarnarbakkinn
Recently opened again and is gaining respect, It’s a Restaurant during
the day but a dance place during night (weekends of course). The crowd
here is usually little more mature then in the other clubs. Talented DJs
play with the drunken crowd.
Crowd: 25+
Vonarstræti 3
Above the Iðnó theatre, so it´s a good place to go before shows, or during if you prefer a more quiet atmosphere. If you sit by the window you
get a nice view of the pond. It´s not a bad place to try one of Iceland´s
culinary specialities, the lamb steak, one of those rare traditional treats
that does not come as a shock to the uninitiated.
GREAT SELECTION OF THE
BEST ICELANDIC MUSIC
INDIE / POP / CLASSICAL / JAZZ / ELECTRO / FOLK
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Please visit and enjoy good music and free espresso coffee
or tea.
And we offer Tax Free Shopping!
Skólavörðustígur 15
Phone: 511-5656
THEY DON’T GIVE CHANGE
Reykjavík has no trams, trains or subways, only buses. These yellow things can take you pretty
much anywhere in Reykjavík’s suburb areas. It’s a slow system and you might have to change buses
a couple of times to get where you want to though usually things run smoothly, and on time. The
price of a single fare is 220kr, for an adult, (60kr for children under 12). If you are in town for more
than a few days then the 9 ticket package for 1500kr would be a better bet. Bus cards valid for two
weeks a month or three months are also available. You have to pay as you step on board and it has
to be the accurate amount, unless you want to pay more for your ride. The driver can not change
your money. For those of you used to the honesty system, this system is as honest, because if you
don’t pay, you don’t ride. You can ask the driver for a free time-limited exchange ticket, if you need
two buses to complete your journey.
The bus system is closed during the night, you can catch your first bus between 6:40 and 7:00
in the morning, and last call is around 24:00. The main bus stops in Reykjavik are Hlemmur and
Lækjartorg, there you’ll be able to get all the information you need.
Don’t
compromise
We don’t
�����
“...the meals were simply
the best I have enjoyed in an
Icelandic restaurant this year."
Nordica Hotel
Sudurlandsbraut 2
108 Reykjavik, Iceland
Tel: (+354) 444-5050
Fax: (+354) 444-5001
[email protected]
www.vox.is
Food and wine critic –
Morgunblaðið Daily Newspaper
September 7th 2003
R E S T A U R A N T
18
Bleika Dúfan, Laugavegur 21, p: 517-1980
Café Árnes, by the harbour, p: 551-5101
Café Paris, Austurstræti 14, p: 551-1020
Café Roma, Laugavegi 118, p: 562-0020
Grái Kötturinn, Hverfisgata 16a, p: 551-1544
Kaffivagninn, Grandagarður 10, p: 551-5932
Mokka, Skólavörðustígur 3a, p: 552-1174
Ráðhúskaffi, City Hall, p: 563-2169
Segafredo by Lækjartorg, p:
Tíu Dropar, Laugavegur 27, p: 551-9380
Galleries
101 Gallery, Hverfisgata 18a
Gallery Kling og Bang, Laugavegi 23, p: 822-0402
Gallery Fold, Rauðarárstígur 14-16, p: 551-0400
Gallery Hnoss, Skólavörðustígur 16, p: 561-8485
Gallery i8, Klapparstígur 33, p: 551-3666
Gallery Meistari Jakob, Skólavörðustígur 5, p: 552-7161
Gallery Skuggi, Hverfistaga 39, p: 511-1139
Gallery Tukt, Pósthússtræti 3-5, p: 520-4600
Handverk og Hönnun, Aðalstræti 12, p: 551-7595
Safn, Laugavegur 37, p: 561-8777
The Icelandic Printmakers Association, Tryggvagata 17, p: 588-7576
Other
Hallgrímskirkja church, Skólavörðuholti, p: 510-1000
Klink og Bank, Brautarholt, p: 822-0402
Perlan, Öskjuhlíð
Kringlan shopping mall, Kringlan 8-12, p: 568-9200
Volcano show: Red rock cinema, Hellusund 6a, p: 845-9548
Salurinn Concert Hall, Hamraborg 6, p: 570-0400
Theaters
Light nights, Iðnó Theater, p: 551-9181
Restaurants
Café, Bar and Bistro
Ari í Ögri, Ingólfsstræti 3, p: 551-9660
Bar 11, Laugavegur 11, p: 511-1180
Café 22, Laugavegur 22, p: 511-5522
Café List, Laugavegur 20a, p: 511-1420
Café Victor, Hafnarstræti 1-3, p: 561-9555
Celtic Cross, Hverfisgata 26, p: 511-3240
De Palace, Hafnarstræti 18, p: 551-6780
Dillon, Laugavegur 20, 511-2400
Dubliner, Hafnarstræti 4, 511-3233
Glaumbar, Tryggvagata 20, p: 552-6868
Grand Rokk, Smiðjustígur 6, p: 551-5522
Hressingarskálinn, Austurstræti 20, p: 561-2240
Hverfisbar, Hverfisgata 20, p: 511-6700
Jón Forseti, Aðalstræti 10, p: 551-0962
Kaffi Kúltur, Hverfisgötu 18, p: 530-9314
Kaffibarinn, Bergstaðastræti 1, p: 551-1588
Kaffibrennslan, Pósthússtræti 9, p: 561-3600
Nelly’s, Þingholtsstræti 2, p: 551-2477
Prikið, Bankastræti 12, p: 551-3366
Sirkus, Klapparstígur 30
Sólon, Bankastræti 7a, p: 562-3232
Thorvaldsen bar, Austurstræti 8, p: 511-1413
Vegamót, Vegamótastígur 4, p: 511-3040
Clubs
Gaukur á Stöng, Tryggvagata 22, p: 551-1556
Kapital, Hafnarstræti 17, p: 511-7007
Leikhúskjallarinn, Hverfisgata 19, p: 551-6010
Mojito, Austurstræti 16, p: 575-7905
Nasa, by Austurvöllur, p: 511-1313
Pravda, Austurstræti 22, p: 552-9222
Fastfood
Apótekið, Austurstræti 16, p: 575-7900
3 Frakkar, Baldursgata 14, p: 552-3939
Hornið, Hafnarstræti 15, p: 551-3340
Jómfrúin, Lækjargata 4, p: 551-0100
Rossopomodoro, Laugavegur 40a, p: 561-0500
Tapas, Vesturgata 3b, p: 551-2344
Tjarnarbakkinn, Vonarstræti 2, p: 562-9700
Tveir Fiskar, Geirsgata 9, p: 511-3474
Við Tjörnina, Templarasund 3, p: 551-8666
Vox Nordica Hotel, Suðurlandsbraut 2, p: 444-5050
Bæjarins bestu, Tryggvagata, p: 894-4515
Bernhöftsbakarí, Bergstaðastæti 13, p: 551-3083
Eldsmiðjan, Bragagata 38a, p: 562-3838
First Vegetarian (Á næstu grösum), Laugavegur 20b, p: 552-8410
Nonnabiti, Hafnarstræti 11, p: 551-2312
Pizza 67, Tryggvagata 26, p: 561-9900
Pizza Pronto, Vallarstræti 4, p: 517-5445
Reykjavík Bagel Company, Laugavegur 81, p: 511-4500
Vitabar, Bergþórugata 21, p: 551-7200
WE ARE ON A MISSION
FROM GOD
UPCOMING
EVENTS
Friday July 9th
LI
VE
M
US
IC
Radiostation X BBQ night: Bands
playing tonight are; Maus, Hudson
Wayne and Manhattan
Saturday July 10th
The Keflavik Invasion; Bands playing
tonight are; Æla, Tokyo Megaplex & the
great Heiða & Heiðingjarnir
Thursday July 22nd
Band Tube
YOU WILL NEVER
DRINK ALONE
Smiðjustíg 6.
p: 551 5522
Band Vax
Friday July 16th
(Band all joins in to say how easy it
would have been to contact them.)
Eggert: We’re going to stay in New
York for a week with our girlfriends,
though.
Birgir: Ugh. Girlfriends.
ON PLAYING IN THE SAME
BAND FOR 11 YEARS
GV: Why aren’t you more jaded
after 11 years?
Birgir: We started young. We
thought of this like a club. It’s still
like that. Sometimes we talk for 40
minutes and play for 20.
Palli: We just get along.
Birgir: I haven’t slept with any of
their girlfriends yet.
Palli: And we haven’t slept with any
of his ex-girlfriends.
H.S.
Cafés
ASÍ. Art Museum, Freyjugata 41, 511-5353
Árbæjarsafn Folk Museum, Kistuhylur 4, p: 557-1111
Ásmundarsafn, Sculpture museum, Sigtún, p: 553-2155
Culture House, Hverfisgata 15, p: 545-1400
Einar Jónsson, Sculpture museum, Einarsgata, p: 551-3797
Gerðarsafn, Kóparvogur Art Gallery, Hamraborg 4, p:551-3797
Hafnarborg Art Gallery, Srandgata 34 Hafnarfj, 555-0080
Hafnarhúsið, Reykjavík Art museum, Tryggvagata 17, p: 590-1200
Icelandic Institute of Natural History, Hlemmur 5, p:590-0500
Kjarvalsstaðir Art Museum, Flókagata, p: 517-1290
Museum of Medical History, Neströð 170, p: 561-1016
National Gallery of Iceland, Fríkirkjuvegur 7, p: 515-9600
Nordic House, Sturlugata 5, p: 551-7030
Reykjavík City Library, Tryggvagata 15, p: 563-1750
Reykjavík Elestrivity Museum, Rafstöðvarvegur, p: 567-9009
Reykjavík Museum of Photography, Tryggvagata 15, p: 563-1790
Reykjavík Zoo & Family Park, Engjavegur, p: 575-7800
Saga Museum, Perlan Öskjuhlíð, p: 511-1517
Sigurjón Ólafsson Sculpture Museum, Lauganestangi 70, p: 553-2906
ADDRESS BOOK
Museums
ON FREE BEER
Grapevine: Are you discussing special riders. Need like special M&Ms
for your show tomorrow?
Palli: Nobody asks Icelandic bands if
they want anything… Maybe Nylon.
They got separate dressing rooms for
their June 17th show. But usually,
Icelandic bands don’t get anything.
We do put celebrities on our guest
list though.
Eggert: This is Iceland, you never
know.
Palli: Michael Douglas.
Eggert: The father. You know the
father.
Palli: Yeah, Tony Danza. We always
put him down first.
(Birgir finishes his phone call and
sits down.)
Birgir: Once we asked for 5 cases
of beer. And a few sandwiches. In
Denmark.
Palli: Never in Iceland.
Birgir: You never get free beer here.
Palli: Not unless you have a foreign
band.
Birgir: We’ll have to import small
foreign bands from now on.
ON ICELANDIC CROWDS
Grapevine: You don’t seem to live
a rock n’ roll lifestyle. You all look
young and healthy.
Birgir: We used to be a party band.
Palli and Eggert: No. Not at all.
Birgir: Well, we like to party, we just
do it the right way. We party in the
right way the way we put an album
out the right way.
GV: How is it, then, playing shows
where everyone else is drunk? Last
time I saw you play, at Grand Rokk,
I was sure there was going to be a
brawl.
Birgir: No. It’s fine. No, I don’t
think we’ve ever been afraid of a
crowd.
Palli: There was that one time.
Birgir: But we weren’t afraid. We
made fun of him from the stage.
Palli: Yeah, but…
Birgir: Well, then we ran like hell.
But we made fun of him.
Palli: We had to stop a gig once
because we had security, but the guys
up front were bigger and started
beating up our security. Then our
drummer jumped into the crowd and
started hitting him. But I talked to
the guy who got hit, and he said it
was fine.
Birgir: That guy was pushing the mic
constantly into my teeth.
GV: And your response?
Birgir: Nothing, I’m a pacifist.
ON BIG SHOWS
Grapevine: What are your next big
shows?
Birgir: We have a big show in
Seyðisfjörður coming up. Two shows
there. And then we’re playing New
York.
Grapevine: Where in New York?
Birgir: Central Park. At Summerstage in Central Park.
GV: Well, that’s important, right?
Birgir: (Shrugs.) Yeah, we got a
phone call. This woman said she
wanted us to play Central Park. She
said she had been trying to get in
contact with us for a month.
Palli: I mean we have a website.
ON DEALING WITH THE
FOREIGN PRESS
GV: This woman tracked you down
for the Central Park show. Is it
nice having foreign fans who are so
interested?
Eggert: (Eyes wide open like a child
in a Christmas card.) Doing this for
eleven years, we don’t think we’re
going to be huge if someone from a
foreign country thinks we’re good.
(He looks at me a few seconds.) Shit
shit shit. (Launches into Icelandic,
asking band mates to explain the
same idea he just expressed well in
English.)
Birgir: Normally, the foreign press
isn’t interested in us. We’re an established band. People forget to mention us. It’s only if they hear us on a
cd or something—then we end up
with people writing about us who are
fans. We’ve never had hype. We’ve
never had a spotlight on us.
ON 11 YEARS AS A POPULAR
ICELANDIC ROCK BAND
Birgir: We sell albums like a mainstream pop band, but we get airplay
with the rock bands. We probably
sell more than the pop bands.
Palli: It’s brilliant playing around the
country.
Eggert: We get to play our own
songs for one and a half hours and
hear people singing along.
Palli: Some Icelandic bands want
to go straight from Iceland to New
York.
Birgir: But that’s impossible.
GV: How many shows have you
played in Iceland, do you think?
Eggert: Exactly 270, I think.
Birgir: It helps that we’re self-sufficient.
GV: What does that mean?
Eggert: We don’t have an agent or
anything.
GV: Isn’t that why it took the
woman from New York City a whole
month to track you down?
All of Maus: Yeah.
Birgir: Fuck. We’ve wasted 11 years.
Palli: Hey, sorry we didn’t have the
drummer here.
Eggert: Yeah, he usually says the
funny things.
Maus will headline a show at Grand
Rokk on Friday, July 9, and they will
perform two shows the next week in
Seyðisfjörður. For more info, check
their website.
19
AROUND THE WORLD
IN 90 MINUTES
by Valur Gunnarsson
It´s hard to dislike Jackie Chan. His films are as harmless as you
can get. It´s almost a relief these days to see movie violence where no
one gets hurt and everyone gets up again, having learnt their lesson.
But it´s also hard to really like Jackie Chan. They all seem the same,
no matter who he´s being paired with or what time period he´s being set in. Here, in place of Owen Wilson or Chris Tucker is Steve
Coogan. “Who?” may be the first thought that comes to mind, but
you may have seen him in 24 Hour Party People.
Here he plays globe trotter and
betting man Phileas Fogg. There´s
something very romantic about
the 19th Century, when there were
still places left to be discovered,
and of course, in due course
colonised, although the hangover
of colonisation may be somewhat
less romantic. The highlights of the
film are the CGI travels between
countries, when you get an overview
of the next port of call. Cecile de
France shines as the love interest
and we´ll probably be seeing more
of her. The cameo´s range from the
very brief, such as Richard Branson
and John Cleese, to the downright
bizarre. The governor of California
appears as a Rodin collecting
Turkish sultan, and is probably the
last person you would expect in
such a role. Apparently he tried to
have himself cut from the film after
entering politics. If he had succeeded
this would have been a worse film,
but you now wonder whether
this may have been his last screen
performance. The Wilson brothers
are great as the Wright brothers,
Owen Wilson currently being a
contender for funniest man alive.
Despite all this, the movie seems to
drag on. You wish they would have
gone for a more straightforward
rendition of the story, and left out all
the mock fights. This is one Jackie
Chan movie that may have been
better off without him.
NOT ON THE TV
Give football to God
by Robert Jackson
The other day I sat down to watch the news. We were
in the middle of the presidential elections and I wanted
to hear from the pundits how they viewed the election
and what they saw as the likely outcome. So I sat down
at 7:00pm only to find that Iceland´s favourite newsreader had been usurped by 22 men, a ball and a referee.
Here we were in the middle of a presidential election campaign, a time when the issues relating to the
constitution, media laws and the prospect of a referendum are all running to a very public conclusion. At this
crucial time, when campaigning is at its most vigorous
and when in other countries news coverage would be
extended, here it is given up for a football tournament
- a tournament where the nation isn’t even represented.
“It must be on another channel” I told myself, as I
surfed in vain to find Bogi and crew grapple with the
candidates.
What I did find was Omega; the ‘round-the-clock bible
channel, sitting there ‘fat, dumb and happy’ broadcasting
to a handful of viewers, using up one of the country’s
most valuable resources: a television frequency.
MOVIES : LISTINGS : july 9 - july 22
Divine intervention is certainly at play here. How a
country that has limited analog frequencies can devote
24 hours a day, 365 days a year to a religious network is
a mystery of biblical proportions and one that is worthy
of review.
RÚV has a mandate to entertain as well as inform, and
doubtless the decision to broadcast the football was
made in response to that duty. But is it not possible
to put it on another channel? Is it too much to ask the
good people at Omega to risk the wrath of God and
move aside when events, such as presidential elections
and football matches, coincide?
Everyone would win. The news and current affairs
programmes could run at their usual times, football fans
would be able to watch all of their games, and Omega
would receive more viewers, as some would forget to
change channels at the end of the broadcast and, who
knows, some may even want to tune in again?
Screenings start rougly every two hours, at 18, 20 and 22. However, with films getting ever longer
starting times may vary. There are usually ads and trailers for roughly 15 minutes from announced
starting time. Almost all films have a short interval in the middle.
Hverfisgata 54
Phone: 551-9000
www.regnboginn.is
Laugarás
Phone: 553-2075
www.laugarasbio.is
Álfabakka 8
Phone: 587-8900
www.sambio.is
Smáralind
Phone: 564-0000
www.smarabio.is
Kringlan 4-6
Phone: 588-0800
www.sambio.is
PREMIERS:
9. july Spider-Man 2
16. july My Babys Daddy
PREMIERS:
9. july Spiderman 2
16. july Shrek 2
PREMIERS:
9. july Raising Helen
16. july Shrek 2
PREMIERS:
9. july Spiderman 2
16. july My Babys Daddy
PREMIERS:
16. july Raising Helen
16. july Shrek 2
Still running:
Still running:
Still running:
Still running:
Still running:
Walking Tall
Suddenly 30
Day after Tomorrow
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless
Mind, The Punisher
Godsend
The Chronicles of Riddick
Raising Helen
Around the World in 80 Days
Harry Potter 3
Eurotrip,
Troy
Walking Tall
Suddenly 30
Day after Tomorrow
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless
Mind
The Punisher
The Chronicles of Riddick
Around the World in 80 Days
Mean Girls
Conf. of a Teenage Drama
Queen
Chasing Liberty
Look no further for:
Hagatorg
Phone: 530-1919
www.haskolabio.is
PREMIERS:
16. july Shrek 2
Still running:
The Chronicles of Riddick
Around the World in 80 Days
Devine Intervention
Metallica : Some Kind of Monster, The Ladykillers, Harry
Potter 3, Mors Elling (Elling 2)
Comic books
Graphic Novels
Manga/Anime
Action Figures
Sci-Fi/Fantasy paperbacks
Collectible Card Games
Warhammer
Role-Playing Games
and more...
NEXUS
Hverfisgata 103 (near bus station Hlemmur)
Open mon-sat 12 to 19:30, sun. 13-18
Phones 552 9011 - 5529012
20
MAN BITES SHARK
by Marcie Hume
Walking through the doors of Kolaportið, you can’t help but
notice that it smells very Icelandic inside. If the DVDs, clothes, books
and other classic Kolaportið scraps seem too overwhelming to sort
through, follow your nose to the dried fish, sitting in piles in the
room which features some of the finest and smelliest uber-Icelandic
cuisine from the sea. Here you can find food items all the way from
the foreigner-friendly salmon to kotareyktur rauðmagi, a thick black
wedge of fish which looks something like an individually packaged
shoe.
H.S.
And then there are the huge green
eggs spotted with black dots: seagull
and blackbird eggs. I’ve seen them
eaten raw before, right in front of
the counter. Who buys these things?
I felt compelled to ask. “Mostly
old people,” says Hjalti Ásgeirsson,
the young man behind the counter.
“They’re used to it,” he says, “but I
like them also.”
There are crowds around the stalls
and transactions are surging faster
than at a McDonald’s in Texas. This
must be one of the busiest places in
the city. Generally, each stall is run
by one family who sells potatoes,
breads or seafood that they produce
or acquire themselves. Gunnar
Eyjólfsson tells me that all the fish at
his extensive counter comes from the
work of just his family and their two
boats. They have been selling fish
in Kolaportið for ten years and most
everyone in the family is a fisherman.
“It’s always this busy,” he tells me.
I approach a gentleman standing
behind a big plastic fish which hangs
over his counter. His name is Hilmar
Friðsteinsson. “The freshness here is
unrivalled,” he tells me. “There’s not
chance of getting something spoiled
here. And you can’t get most of
these things at the shops.” He’s been
working at Kolaportið in one capacity or another for the entire fifteen
years of its existence. Hilmar hands
me a little beige blob on a toothpick and I can’t refuse. Initially it’s
tolerable, almost tasteless, although I
detain it in my cheek like a squirrel…I’m not sure why, I chalk it up
to instinct. As I begin to chew, I am
certain that this isn’t going to work
out for me.
I decide to spit. This is obviously
beyond rude, standing right in front
of Hilmar, but there was no chance
of coercing the blob down my throat.
At this point Hilmar decides to tell
me that what I am trying not to
swallow is shark meat. I lean over
the rubbish bin and attempt to let
the shark go gracefully, to spit like a
dancer would spit, if dancers were in
the habit of spitting shark. Unfortunately, there are strings hanging
from my teeth, mostly in one hefty
glob lodged between two molars. I
try to pull it out with the toothpick,
and when this fails, with my fingers.
And in this moment, with the
monster hanging off my face, time
starts to slow down. It’s like taking
a great fall and knowing mid-air
that you are going down, everything
in slow motion. I realize all of my
friends have walked away, except for
one who is whispering “Okay, pull it
together.”
And then Hilmar tries to pass me a
dried fish chaser. But my gag reflex
is kicking in.
Eventually I get most of the shark
out of my teeth. It lands limply on
the back of my hand, and then, with
a can of Coke as my shepherd, I
swallow the rest. A few people laugh
and point at the girl grimacing and
gulping a Coke, and meanwhile the
shark burns my stomach, a good,
honest burn like I have swallowed
something really inappropriate, and
the burn continues all the way home.
It’s an experience I needed to have, if
only to prove how hearty and durable
Icelanders are, and how cowardly
my digestive system is. While I was
cringing in discomfort there were
lines of elderly women handing over
cash for this stuff. As Hilmar told
me, “Foreigners usually just buy
salmon.”
����� ARTS andCULTURE
Guerilla Theatre of the Absurd
Kjarvalsstadir
HER, HER, HER AND HER
by Jonas Moody
Hallgrímskirkja church, 11th July, 8pm
SUMMER EVENING CONCERT
H.S.
“So there’s this chef and this hotel
reception clerk. And they’re just
standing in the middle of Kringlan.
One is standing on top of a planter
and the other one is on the ground.
And their poses look like something
out of Romeo and Juliet.” It didn’t
stop there. My friend described to
me scene after scene of mid-mall
dioramas featuring frozen passion
between butchers and bakers and
candlestick makers. Once I saw a
junior ballroom dancing competition
in the middle of Kringlan. The
sight of 8-year-olds gyrating to
the cha-cha is, yes, unsettling, but
these vignettes sounded downright
absurd! Indeed, it is this seemingly absurd sense of
engagement with the public that marks this young
group of performers. Götuleikhús (Street Theater) is
a group of 15 young people (from 16 to 25) selected
from numerous applications to work as a troop of street
actors, enacting invisible theatre throughout Reykjavík.
Under the direction of Steinunn Knútsdóttir and Oddvar
Hjartarson, the group is first put though a training
period including rigorous physical conditioning, exercises
to hone their minds, and a number of brainstorming
Photographer Roni Horn first came to Iceland 30 years
ago and quickly became entranced. Her work encompasses
many aspects of the country’s geology, and even the indoor
swimming pool Sundhöllin, which is featured in this
show. She keeps a low profile here but her body of work
holds Iceland as its focal point. Also at this location are
new works by the Italian artist Francesco Clemente.
Christian Schmitt, a 28-year-old German organist, is one
of the best of the younger generation. He will play music
by the Icelandic composer Jón Ásgeirsson, as well as works
by Guy Bovet, Liszt, and Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in D.
A good way to spend some time inside the Church many
of us use as a compass. If you don’t like organ music, you
can close your eyes and pretend you’re in a David Lynch
movie.
Ásmundarsafn
sessions to pick a theme. This year’s theme is “love”
in all of its various manifestations. Götuleikhús has
explored, among other avenues, passion without touching
culminating in these live installations at Kringlan.
They have also taken up familial love by assembling
a family with parents on stilts, Tokyo punk children,
and gargoyles for pets. The group’s next installment
will appear this Friday downtown as a series of mobile,
private spaces, an entire apartment recreated outdoors for
all of Reykjavík to see.
The visitor´s KEY to ICELAND
Its saga and scenery
Over 400 colour photographs
A complete ROAD AND REFERENCE
GUIDE
Including the highlands and all
mountain roads
Iceland is a country of
great and unusual
natural beauty. Every
turn in the road, every
change in the weather
presents a new and
fascinating aspect.
Also Available in German
as: “Island Atlas”
Detailed maps of the entire Icelandic road system
Street maps of towns and villages
Maps of numbered mountain tracks
Map of golf courses
Classified list of advertisers
Index of 3,000 place names
Information on accommodation, petrol stations, etc.
And much, much more
Available in bookstores and petrol stations around Iceland
For more info call Stöng Publishing House – Tel.: + 354 554 77 00
THE MAN AND MATERIAL
A retrospective exhibit of the sculptor’s work. The exhibit
aims to create a memorable time for visitors of all ages,
and children are encouraged to explore and play while
learning about the artist and his history. Plus, with an
admission ticket to the Roni Horn exhibit, your ticket is
good for this show as well if you visit on the same day.
Fjölskyldu og húsdýragarðurinn
SKINNY LEGS AND ALL
Sure it’s just a zoo. But if you’re one of the few people in
Reykjavík who didn’t grow up near any sheep, or if you
really want to impress a seven year old, head on down to
Laugardal. Here you can talk to the seals or make fun of
the reindeers’ skinny legs. It’s the only place where nervous
animals like goats actually let you feed them (and talk to
them, if you’re so inclined). The science tent and family
park are great aspects as well.
Þróttheimar, 11th July, 14:00-18:00
LYKKJUFALL - HITT HÚSIÐ
A clothes line for the summer which the designer claims
to be “challenging but still with a romantic feel.” The line,
created by two students at the Art School, will be sold at
Þróttheimar youth centre.
On the Internet
VISITREYKJAVIK.IS
Despite a few typos and the classic foreign-sounding
English, this website is a good place to find all types of
events in the city. It’s a great reference guide for finding
opening times, phone numbers and locations. More or
less all galleries, theaters, opera, symphony events, etc. are
listed here. If you’ve lost your “Grapevine in Your Pocket”,
this is where to go.
21
Shopping in Front of Suffering
by Marcie Hume
tion than this one. In the midst of the shopping haven of Kringlan
are photographs of foreign faces peeking in, from places most of us
will never see. And on the bottom floor, the faces are almost exclusively those of people whose entire lives have been summarized and
displayed here in a stilled moment of suffering
It is, of course, to say the least,
disconcerting; the sorrow and scars
hit us brutally under the bright mall
light. But the photos serve to remind
us that not only is there suffering
while we are shopping, but it is in
more places than our minds can hold
at once. There are images from the
wars in Iraq and Libya which show
burns and mutilations, and some
from domestic circumstances that
are confusing and horrific all the
same: one large print shows a 15year-old girl in Afghanistan, a pink
bow in her hair, who set herself on
fire because she feared her husband’s
rage after she had damaged his
television set.
This section of the exhibit does
not just focus on the third world.
There are photographs of a girl in
America who, after battling leukemia
for three years, was preparing to
die in her own home at the age of
twenty-three. There are photos
from a Berlin hospice showing
individuals’ faces first alive and
then unmistakably dead, the life so
apparently fallen from them. Seeing
these photos is like being unwillingly
exposed, standing in front of the
image of death, surrounded by shop
windows which display soaps and
skirts on sale.
“People are confronted,” Sigríður
tells me from her shop which
faces some of the most graphic
photos. “If you put these pictures
in another place, in a museum, no
one is confronted. People have just
come here to go shopping, so they
are surprised… the photos take
your breath away. It’s good to be
confronted once in a while.”
The images are set against an
orderly, spotless foreground where
prams and strollers are being
wheeled casually by, some more
quickly than others. Outside a
somewhat enclosed area, there is a
warning that the images inside may
be too strong for children. But the
photos facing the outside are nearly
as shocking and they are in plain
sight. Small children walk by with
their parents, and I see one small
boy reach up to touch the image of a
Chinese man’s back that is all bones
and redness due to AIDS, which he
ARTS and CULTURE LISTINGS : june 9 - july 22
Want to be seen in the listings? Send us a mail
to [email protected] and your event will be
announced in the next issue, and the best thing
is that being in the listings is free!
ONGOING
ASÍ museum
Iðnó - Theatre
Summer Season of Light nights July 5th - August
27th. Every Monday and Friday at 8.30 p.m.
(duration 2 hours). Light Nights is presented in
English.
Volcano show: Red rock cinema
Exhibition by the artist Hafstein Austmann, the
name of the show is Colours of the water
If you don’t want to wait for the next volcanic
eruption, then just go watch a video of the last,
it’s less dangerous and much more reliable then
nature. Admission 750ISK
National Gallery of Iceland
11:00-17:00 every day
Ásmundarsafn, Sculpture museum
10:00-16:00 every day
Tue-Sun 14:00-18:00
This year’s summer exhibition will address the
theme Environment and nature in Icelandic 20thcentury art.
Hafnarborg Art Gallery
Wed-Sun 11:00-17:00
Waiting: Sculptures donated to the museum by
the artist Einar Már Guðvarðarson. Also Contemporary Japanese art: Japanese art made by 40
artists. The works include paintings, sculpture
and installations.
Klink og bank artist workplace
Workplace for artist, open when something
speacial is going on.
Culture House
11:00-17:00 every day
A summer exhibition entitled The Poetic Edda.
The exhibition is intended to provide visitors
with some insights into these ancient poems.
Many of Iceland’s national treasures are on display. Featured exhibitions Medieval Manuscripts
– Eddas and Sagas. Exhibition Home Rule 1904.
Gerðarsafn, Kóparvogur Art Gallery
Tue-Sun 11:00-17:00.
RECENT AQUISITIONS: Works by Icelandic artists having exhibited at the museum in recent
years.
Nordic House
Mon-Fri 8:00-17:00, Sat&Sun 12:00-17:00
7-A View from the North: Travelling exhibition - 7
artists from the Nordic Countrie. ISK 300,-
Gallery Skuggi
Thu-Sun 13:00-17:00
Gallery Skuggi is a new exhibition gallery for
contemporary art, located in central Reykjavík.
Kling og Bang Gallery
Exhibition by world famous american artists Paul
McCarthy and Jason Rhoades
Árbæjarsafn, Folk Museum
Tue-Fri 10:00-17:00, Sat&Sun 10:0018:00
Árbæjarsafn, Folk Museum is Reykjavík City´s
folk museum and the largest open air museum in
Iceland. It is composed of around 30 buildings
from different periods, most of which have been
moved from downtown Reykjavík.
Austurvöllur out door exhibition
Icelanders: Photography Exhibition in Austurvellir, A Meeting with the Icelanders over a period
of two years, photographer Sigurgeir Sigurjónsson and author Unnur Jökulsdóttir travelled
around iceland.
101 Gallery
Exhibition by various artists.
Gallery i8
Thu&Fri 11:00-18:00
Exhibition by Jeanine Cohen
Handverk og Hönnun
Mon-Fri 09.00-16:00
Summer Exhibition of contemporary and traditional Icelandic art and crafts.
Pearl
The sculptor Teddi displays his artwork of wood
and metal at the Pearl in July.
Kringlan mall
World Press Photo exhibition: Press photos from
all over the world will be exhibited in Kringlan
shopping mall. Ends July 18
The Man and Material. A retrospective exhibition
of works by Asmundur Sveinsson.
Reykjavík Zoo and Family Park
10:00-18:00 every day
Icelandic horse and sheep, along with local varieties other animals in the zoo. Right beside it
is the Park, which has various activities for the
whole family.
Kjarvalsstaðir Art Museum
10:00-17:00 every day
Saga Museum
10:00-16:00 every day.
The Saga museum intimately recreates key moments in Icelandic history and gives a compelling
view into how Icelanders have lived and thought
for more than a millenium through the use of life
size likenesses
Museum of Medical History
Sun,Tue,Thu,Sat 13:00-17:00
Artefacts, tools, instruments and pictures on the
subject.
Reykjavík Electricity Museum
Tue-Sun 13:00-17:00
A historical survey of the uses of electricity in
the city of Reykjavik, from the time of the first
hydroelectric station at Elliðaár, in operation from
1921 onwards.
Reykjavík City Library
Mon-Fri 10:00-16:00
Books and periodicals in Icelandic as well as English, Scandinavian and other languages. Also has
a childrens and a comic book section.
acquired from donating blood.
One could argue that children
have already been desensitized to
images like these from television and
movies, but it’s more likely that they
just don’t register exactly what they
are seeing. As one viewer tells me,
“They just don’t get it. When you’re
that small, you think everyone’s life
is just like yours. When I was little, if
it was raining in Akureyri, I thought
it was raining everywhere else.”
Reality, however, is not a term
that everyone agrees upon for this
exhibit. “It’s supposed to portray
life as it is, but everyone in the
photos is dying or in a war,” a man
walking by the display tells me.
“These photographers were trying
to seek out filth. Then people think
there are only dismembered heads in
Africa, that that’s all life is there.”
Of course the essence of this type
SATURDAY
National Gallery of Iceland
Hallgrímskirkja Church
JULY 10
Summer exhibition Environment and nature opens
Hallgrímskirkja Church
Lunch Time Concert - Christian Schmitt, organ
Reykjavík City Library
Womenwalk threw downtown Reykjavík, the walk
starts at the city library.
SUNDAY
JULY 11
All around Iceland
Icelandic Museum Day. A great opportunity to
gain free entry to the main museums, not only
in Reykjavik, but throughout the country. One
day only
Árbæjarsafn, Folk Museum
National Museum Day. History of Reykjavik.
Guided tour at the museum. Service in museum
church 2 pm. Display of old motorcycles. Guided
history walk in downtown Reykjavik at 2 pm
Gallery Fold
Mon-Fri 10:00-18:00 Sat 11:00-17:00 Sun
14:00-17:00
One of the largest Galleries in Iceland, works by
many know artists.
Hallgrímskirkja Church
Einar Jónsson Sculpture Museum
Tue-Sun 14:00-17:00
Gallery Meistari Jakob
Mon-Fri 11:00-18:00, Sat 11:00-14:00
TUESDAY
Hafnarhúsið, Reykjavík Art Museum
10:00-17:00 every day
The gallery is run by eleven artists who work in
ceramics, textiles, printmaking and paintings and
you will always find one of them at the gallery.
Evening Concerts Sundays - Christian Schmittþ
JULY 13
Sigurjón Ólafsson Sculpture Museum
I Didn’t Do It. Private exhibition of Thorvaldur
Thorsteinsson - the museum’s summer exhibition.
Also part of the Erró Collection on show.
Gallery Tukt
Mon-Thu 13:00-18:00, Fri 13:00 - 17:00
Ragnheiður Árnadóttir, soprano and Peter Nilsson,
piano. Works by H. Purcell, W.A. Mozart, D. Argento and the Swedish composers Stenhammar,
and Peterson-Berger.
Sigurjón Ólafsson Sculpture Museum
Tue-Sun 14:00-17:00
Safn
Wed-Fri 14:00-18:00. Sat&Sun 14:00-17:00
THURSDAY
Sigurjón Ólafsson’s Works in public Space: Poster
exhibition and sculptures related to Ólafsson’s
monuments and public sculptures.
Reykjavík Museum of Photography
Mon-Fri 12:00-19:00, Sat&Sun 13:0017:00.
A collection of Finnish contemporary photographs.
Icelandic Institute of Natural History
Tue, Thu, Sat, Sun 13:00-17:00
Geological, botanical and zoological exhibits, displaying the nature of Iceland.
Various artists.
The works were the artists’ most current works
at the time of the museums purchase.
Gallery of the Icelandic printmakers association
Tue-Sun 14:00-18:00
Exhibition by Frank Hammerhöj, danish painter
Ends July 18
FRIDAY
JULY 9
Klink og bank artist workplace
Iceland inside - outside, introduction (Russia)
The World Press Photo exhibition
is on display at Kringlan through 18
July.
SATURDAY
Roni Horn: Her, her, her and her: Photographs
taken in the Reykjavik Swimming Hall.
Francesco Clemente: New Works. Exhibition of
new works by the famous Italian artist. Works
from the Kjarval Collection.
Works of Einar Jónsson, Iceland´s first sculptor.
of photography is proof, albeit
selective, of what life can be like.
When you’re wandering through the
mall, it is inconsequential whether
these photos represent a tiny corner
of reality or the whole of it. Places
of deep suffering exist alongside our
daily lives, and they are linked. The
world these photos present is not
different from ours and, in looking,
we are more a part of it.
It seems that every parent is
guarding their child to the degree
they see fit, but there is no shock or
outrage at the exhibition’s prominent
location. After all, you can’t change
reality, but you can choose to walk
by it faster.
H.S.
The art world could not dream up a louder, more ideal juxtaposi-
JULY 15
Hallgrímskirkja Church
Lunch Time Concert - Sveinn Arnar Sæmundsson,
organ
FRIDAY
JULY 16
Árbæjarsafn, Folk Museum
Children’s puppet show at 2 pm.
JULY 17
Lunch Time Concert - Douglas A. Brotchie, organ
Klink og bank artist workplace
Opening of show in the Greenhall. Junglestation
opens in the park of Klink and bank.
SUNDAY
JULY 18
Árbæjarsafn, Folk Museum
Acordian day: Folk music program
Hallgrímskirkja Church
Evening Concerts Sundays - By Douglas A.
Brotchie playing on a organ
Salurinn Concert Hall in Kópavogur
An international children´s choir festival bringing
400 children from all over the world together for
a week of singing. Ends by singing together at
these two concert at 18th of july.
TUESDAY
JULY 20
Sigurjón Ólafsson Sculpture Museum
Simon Jermyn, guitar, Jóel Pálsson and Ólafur
Jónsson, tenor-saxophones, Þorgrímur Jónsson
acoustic bass and Erik Qvick drums. Contemporary jazz by Reid Anderson, Per ‘Texas’ Johansson
and the musicians themselves.
WEDNESDAY
JULY 21
Ömmukaffi
20:30 Poetry night, open mic
THURSDAY
JULY 22
Hallgrímskirkja Church
Nicole Cariglia, cello and Eyþór Ingi Jónsson,
organ
Klink og bank artist workplace
Klink and bank Musicseries (Rússland)
22
THE GRUMPIEST
MAN IN DUBLIN
by Valur Gunnarsson
T
he longhaired man paced back and forth. He had been there when I arrived earlier during the day
to pick up the tickets. When I came back six hours later to see the show, he was still there. I could contain
myself no longer. Almost automatically the words came out, the same question I had posed to a thousand
girls in a hundred bars. “Waiting for someone?” I found myself saying. “ Yes,” he answered. They all did.
This was usually my cue to exit, but pressing my luck I asked: “Who?”
“The band,” he answered.
Two consecutive responses. This was
farther than I had gotten with most
people. I started feeling an affinity
with the man, a sort of friendship
even. I couldn’t just let him stand
there all by himself. I lit up a
cigarette and started pacing back and
forth alongside him. He pretended
not to notice, but I knew that even
if he didn’t admit it, he enjoyed my
company as much as I did his.
I had just started on my second
cigarette when the longhaired man
addressed me again. “There they
are,” he said as minivan approached
and darted on after it. Our
friendship, it seemed, had come to
an abrupt end. Inside the minivan sat
a small group of men. Even though
the sky was darkening, they were all
wearing shades. There was no doubt
that this was the band.
I started my autograph collection
at age 14. Now, at age 26, it
numbered two specimens; Willie
Nelson and Monica Lewinsky. My
first attempt at signature hunting
had occurred outside the Rica hotel
in Oslo, where I patiently waited
the best part of an evening for Bob
Dylan to emerge. Finally, he did, and
I approached him, but a bodyguard
waived me away. “Never on a Friday,”
he said as I stood there, pen and
paper in hand, another Friday night
unfulfilled.
Willie Nelson had been more
accommodating. At the end of the
gig he patiently stood around and
signed autographs. Perhaps time
passes differently in the plain he
inhabits, or perhaps it’s the weed, but
he didn’t seem to mind at all as time
passed and he signed for everyone
who wanted. He stood on the second
step of the stage ramp, but even so I
was a head taller. Still I felt small in
his presence.
Monica Lewinsky had been at
a book signing in Helsinki. Her
book was available in Finnish and
Swedish, and since my Finnish
barely suffices to order a kebab late
on a Friday night that seems on its
way to leaving me unfulfilled again,
I opted for the Swedish version. A
bodyguard took my copy of the book
and handed it to her, gesturing me
away. Perhaps this was a precaution
to prevent bookbuyers making some
sort of cigar-themed joke. She signed
my Swedish language copy, and
barely audibly I could hear her saying
“Thank you,” before another security
guard handed it back to me.
Actually, my autograph collection
did number more than two. It only
had two international celebrities.
But I did have quite a few local ones.
After my first year of university I
On a mission to rock
by Hrafn Þráinsson
A quick review of Jan Mayen
Even though the Icelandic rock scene is full of interesting
new things, there is always something that stands out. A
band swept through my mind that had stuck there since
I saw them play live in Bar 11: Jan Mayen. The band
contains four members: Valgeir, guitar and vocals; Ágúst,
guitar; Sigursteinn, bass; and last but definitely not least,
the drummer, Viðar. All good and hard-to-pronounce
Icelandic names. Jan Mayen was formed originally in
early June 2002 but with a few minor changes, they now
play together rock solid as never before. Asked for how
they describe their music, Ágúst answers that they must
be “somewhere between pop and punk”. In my opinion
something of a blend of Pixies and Iron Maiden, which
he also says they are influenced by, along with a Swedish
band called Bob Hund and the better known Sonic
Youth.
Their self-titled EP album, which has sold out, shows
that they simply know how to rock. It was recognised
as one of the 10 best Icelandic albums in 2003 by
Morgunblaðið and they were also named the most
promising band of ´03. Even though the album is sold
out now, you can download it for free (how sweet is that?)
on their website www.jan-mayen.com which is in English
and Icelandic. One of their songs, called Nonsense, has
been played regularly on radio stations such as X-ið.
For interested readers, they will be playing Icelandic
Airwaves, a music festival held in Reykjavík in August
and are almost done with recording an album which will
be released sometime next fall. Until then, Ágúst says
they will stay on a mission to rock and enjoy themselves
and that´s probably what they have been doing, most
recently in Roskilde Festival among the 90 thousand
other music fiends stuck up to the waist in mud last
weekend. This time it was as guests, but they´ll probably
be elevated from the mud and onto the stage before long.
had spent a summer working as a
clerk in a Hagkaup supermarket in
the posh part of town. To keep my
sanity while never-ending legions
of groceries and cleaning products
marched down the conveyor belt, I
took to asking celebs out shopping
for their autographs on the back of
their receipts. This way I could also
study what dietary habits were most
likely to lead to stardom. Pop stars,
actors and TV presenters all obliged,
all but the President, out doing his
Sunday shopping, refused, saying I
would have to contact his office if I
wanted one. Damned if I’ll vote for
him again.
Lou Reed stepped out of the van.
The longhaired man excitedly
handed him a copy of The Velvet
Underground and Nico. On it was
a yellow post-it saying “To Sam,”
indicating to the Master what to
sign. The Master duly obliged. The
longhaired man was obviously used
�����
to being in the presence of greatness
to come so prepared. I was not
fortunate enough to have my Lou
Reed collection about my person,
so I reached for my ticket and
handed it to him. Lou, usually the
grumpiest man in New York, at this
point the grumpiest man in Dublin,
and soon to be the grumpiest man
in Reykjavík, looked at me like the
pathetic creature that I was. Perhaps
concluding that it would waste less
time to be done with it, he scribbled
something unintelligible on the
ticket and vanished inside. And so
ended the greatest moment of my
life. The longhaired man strode
happily off with his copy of The
Velvet Underground and Nico,
dedicated to someone named Pam,
and I held fast to my ticket, hoping
the signed bit was not the part they
would tear off. I knew then that the
longhaired man and I would never
see each other again. But we would
always have the music.
MUSIC and NIGHTLIFE
Hitt Húsið, Tuesday, 13th July, 18:30
VARIOUS BANDS
A gig to support the disabled held by a group called
Götuhernaður (Street Fight). Bands playing are
Dáðadrengir(Icelands premier Hip hop band),
Lokbrá(rock), Dys(hardcore), Innvortis(punk), I
Adapt(hardcore) and Andrúm(floyd). No Admission.
NASA, Saturday 10th July, 23:00
GUSGUS
GusGus are an Electronic band. They’ve been around
forever it seems and are Iceland’s premier dance music
composers and remix makers. They’ve remixed artists such
as Björk, Purkur Pilnikk, Depeche Mode and Sigurros.
Members are; Earth, President Bongo, Buckmaster De La
Cruz and Biggi Veira. Dance nasty! Admisson 1.500ISK
Jómfrúin, Saturday, 10th July, 16:00
JAZZBAND BAKLANDIÐ
Brothers Óskar and Ómar will be playing sax and
guitar. Backing them up are Jóhann Ásmundsson on
double bass and the islands greatest drummer (or any
islands greatest drummer); Sigtryggur Baldursson
former member of bands Þeyr, K.U.K.L and Sugarcubes and current member of drummer duet/band
Steintryggur. No Admission.
Listasafn Sigurjóns, Tuesday, 20th
July,20:30
JAZZBAND B-SHARP
This five piece band is going to play contemporary
jazz both by the band and then some standards by
other young jazz musicians. The bandmembers are:
Jóel Pálsson on tenorsax, Ólafur Jónsson also playing
tenorsax, Erik Qvick on drums, Þorgrímur Jónsson
on Double bass and Simon Jormyn on guitar. Same
band will also be playing at Deiglan up in Akureyri
on the 22nd of July. No Admission
Café Reykjavík, Thursdays & Sundays
CUCKOOS CABERET
Upstairs at Cafe Reykjavik. you will find a city´s a caberet. Songs, sketches and stunts. Abba, The Beatles
and Vikings with cellphones are all part of this 3
hour dinner show. 7.30pm - Thursdays and Sundays
Pravda Barinn, Thursday, 15th July
VÍNYLL
One of towns finer rock bands Vinyl. Frontman
Kiddi sings, his twin brother drums, while Snake
plays guitar and Addi plays a Rick. Vinyl is off to
New York later this month to play in Central Park
with another local band, Maus.
23
Outclassing Metallica
by Bart Cameron
O
n Sunday, July 4th, Metallica played the biggest rock show in
the history of Iceland. Six percent of the country’s population attended the show. Mínus shared the bill. If the Icelandic media was
paying attention to American rockers, the international press was
starting to notice Mínus. An hour before going on stage in front of
18,000 of his fellow countrymen, Krummi, lead singer of Mínus,
spoke with me for half an hour about anything I wanted to discuss.
Krummi: Sorry I couldn’t get you
into the show. I couldn’t even get my
girlfriend in.
Grapevine: That sucks. If you’d
known that, would you have signed
on for the show?
Krummi: Well, she was my exgirlfriend. It doesn’t really matter.
Of course I would have signed on.
Actually, I’m really flattered we were
able to play this. It’s just sinking in.
GV: (Derisively) Are you a Metallica
fan?
Krummi: I really liked them when I
was young, dumb and full of cum.
GV: Is it just me, or has the
Icelandic press not covered the fact
that you’re playing here much? It
seems like a big story.
Krummi: They haven’t. But the
foreign press has. I’ve been doing
tons of interviews. Kerrang!
magazine is doing a cover story
about us right now. And Chris
Lopez, this great photographer, has
been shooting us today.
GV: So you’re on a roll?
Krummi: We’ve been on a roll
for the last two years. Playing and
playing. People sooner or later catch
on. We’ve been working like dogs.
(At this point in the interview,
Krummi’s voice is cracking and he is
shivering. We are standing outside,
as I couldn’t get inside Egilshöll. He
has about forty-five minutes until the
biggest show of his life. I ask him if
he wants to go in and he laughs. I
can interview him as long as I need
to.)
GV: You’re playing the biggest show
of your life, aren’t you nervous?
Krummi: I will probably get nervous
when I see the people come in.
GV: Uh, Krummi. I don’t quite
understand this. You’ve been sober
and making sense. I was told you
were an incoherent rock star.
Krummi: (Nodding and very sober.)
I’ve always been very excessive. We
all are. It improves the dynamics of
the band.
GV: One more time, why did you
name your last album Halldór
Laxness?
Krummi: Laxness was a high society
writer and we wanted to take him to
our level, take him to street level…
and it seemed like a weird title for a
rock album.
GV: That’s interesting. Isn’t that too
interesting for a rock interview? Are
you telling me you read regularly?
Krummi: Yeah, we’re always reading.
Everybody but (he catches himself
before naming the one Mínus
Prikið: DJ Gísli Galdur
Kaffibarinn: DJ Raggi
Bar 11: Foosball anyone can play! once a month
SATURDAY
TUESDAY
Jómfrúin: 16:00 Andrea Gylfa sings with her
band, it’s free and it’s enjoyable.
Gaukur á Stöng: Band Á móti Sól play. For
those who care, their last gig was at the Cavern
Club in Liverpool.
Hverfisbar: DJ Andri
Café Culture: DJ Bobby K
Café Victor: DJ DeeJay disc jokes
De Palace: DJ Exos
Kaffibarinn: DJ Gísli Galdur
Prikið: DJ Jói
Sirkus: DJ Kári
Felix: DJ Kiddi Bigfoot
Jón Forseti: DJ Party & Dance
Café Sólon: DJ Þröstur 3000
Bar 11: DJ’s Palli & Biggi from band Maus
Celtic Cross: Downstairs: Band 3Some
Upstairs: Troubadour plays songs by request
Amsterdam: Drunk ‘n’ Funny band Buff plays
covers mixed with their own songs, who put glass
it the...you know what?
Ari í Ögri: Duet Acoustics
Pravda Barinn: E&E Crew
Dubliners: I B Band plays
Nasa: Icelands most popular and probably longest lasting band in business, Stuðmenn play
tonight
Mojito Club: Launch music
Bar 11: DiCE NIGHT : Test your luck at bar 11
MUSIC and NIGHTLIFE LISTINGS : july 9 - july 22
Music and nightlife events usually start around
21:00, unless otherwise stated. Pubs close at
01.00 on weekdays and much, much later on
weekends. For those just wanting to party, the
pubs and clubs don´t get crowded until after
midnight on weekends, although Thursday is a
semi-official night out.
FRIDAY
JULY 9
Nasa: 23:00 concert with Eyjólfur Kristjánsson
01:00 DJ Ísi
Dubliners: Band Friends of Adolf play
Grand Rokk: BBQ Night; Bands Maus and Hud-
son Wayne, see “Grapevine in your pocket” for
further details.
Felix: DJ Andri
Hverfisbar: DJ Benni
Café Victor: DJ DeeJay disc jokes
De Palace: DJ Devious
Amsterdam: DJ Fúsi
Pravda Barinn: DJ Gísli Galdur and band Jagúar’s front man Sammi work their magic
Sirkus: DJ Honky Tonk
Café Culture: DJ Luis
Café 22: DJ Maggi from band Úlpa
Kaffi List: DJ Mússíkant
Kaffibarinn: DJ Natalie
Jón Forseti: DJ Party & Dance
Café Sólon: DJ Svali
Prikið: DJ’s Gullfoss & Geysir
Celtic Cross: Downstairs: Band Spilafíklarnir
Upstairs: Troubadour plays songs by request
Ari í Ögri: Duet Halli & Kalli
Mojito Club: Launch music
Bar 11: Ronald Reagan Memorial Soundsystem
Nelly´s: Troubadours and DJ’s keep up the
good work
picks for details)
Dubliners: Troubadour Andy
Nelly´s: Troubadour night, men with guitars try
their best as human jukeboxes
MONDAY
JULY 12
Dubliners: Troubadour Andy
Nelly´s: Troubadour night, men with guitars try
their best as human jukeboxes
TUESDAY
JULY 13
Bar 11: DiCE NIGHT : Test your luck at bar 11
if you get the 1 on your dice your next drink is
FREE
Prikið: DJ Atli
Pravda Barinn: For those tired of computer
games, why not play Yahtzee, chess, Trivial Pursuit or Backgammon?
Nelly´s: Troubadour night, men with guitars try
their best as human jukeboxes
Dubliners: Troubadour Thor Fitzgerald
WEDNESDAY
JULY 14
Bar 11: Band Victory or Death plays hard stuff
Kaffibarinn: DJ Natalie
Café Culture: Tango Night
Prikið: Troubadour Einar Örn (not the Icecube
from Sugarland)
Dubliners: Troubadour Gunga Din
Nelly´s: Troubadour night, men with guitars try
their best as human jukeboxes
Sirkus: Ýr & Sævar
SATURDAY
THURSDAY
Jómfrúin: 16:00 Jazzband Baklandið, see picks
Café Victor: 1664 Night
Hverfisbar: Acoustic duet Bítlarnir
Kaffi List: Band Tenderfoot
Pravda Barinn: Band Vinyl play, see picks for
JULY 10
for details.
Dubliners: Band Friends of Adolf play
Grand Rokk: Band Vax
Amsterdam: Coverband Oxford
Hverfisbar: DJ Andri
Prikið: DJ Davíð
Café Victor: DJ DeeJay disc jokes
Felix: DJ Doktorinn
De Palace: DJ Extreme
Pravda Barinn: DJ Gyða
Kaffibarinn: DJ Kári
Sirkus: DJ KGB
Café Culture: DJ Luis
Café 22: DJ Matti from Radiostation X
Kaffi List: DJ Mússíkant
Jón Forseti: DJ Party & Dance
Café Sólon: Dj Svali
Celtic Cross: Downstairs: Band Spilafíklarnir
Upstairs: Troubadour plays songs by request
Ari í Ögri: Duet Halli & Kalli
Nasa: Electro Band GUSGUS, see picks for
details
Gaukur á Stöng: Icelandic pop band Írafár
plays covers, and perhaps a song or two by
themself.
Mojito Club: Launch music
Bar 11: Rolling Stones Tribute Night
Nelly´s: Talent competition; mix of talented
people and people who think they have talents
compete.
SUNDAY
JULY 11
Bar 11: 21:00 Movie Night : Dark City / Omen
Kaffi Reykjavík: Cabaret and Lunch night (see
JULY 15
details.
Kaffi Reykjavík: Cabaret and Lunch night (see
picks for details)
member who doesn’t read as much).
I’m reading a good Iggy Pop bio
right now. But, of course, I love
Burroughs and Jack Kerouac. Yeah,
we’re all intellectuals. We like to be
able to back up our opinions. Stand
up for ourselves when we have to.
It’s good to be, you know, literate.
(Interviewer can’t stop staring at
tattoo that reads “Mamma” on
Krummi’s neck as Krummi discusses
literature.)
GV: What are you listening to, right
now?
Krummi: I listen to 70s and 80s
metal, and country and blues, you
know, boogie woogie.
GV: Country?
Krummi: Gram Parsons, Merle
Haggard, George Jones. I have a side
project, Moody Company. We do
country.
GV: Thanks. You should go. Biggest
concert in Iceland’s history and all.
Good luck.
Krummi: Yeah, I need it.
GV: Do you need it? I really didn’t
get that impression.
Krummi: No. But I don’t want to
sound overconfident.
a brewery sponsored foosball competition, great
rewards, be there before 21.00 to be listed
Café Sólon: Green Room Session; DJ’s Andrés
and Tommy White
Jón Forseti: Karaoke night
De Palace: THE GIG: Bands; Touch and Nilfisk
Sirkus: Tom Selleck moustache competition, an
annual thing, best moustache wins!
Dubliners: Troubadour Gunga Din
Nelly´s: Troubadour night, men with guitars try
their best as human jukeboxes
FRIDAY
JULY 16
Prikið: 20:00 Band Búðarbandið plays fun stuff
23:00 DJ Surprise
Gaukur á Stöng: Band Ísidór plays tracks of
their new LP
Felix: DJ Andri
Café Victor: DJ DeeJay disc jokes
De Palace: DJ Devious
Nasa: DJ Disco
Pravda Barinn: DJ Jörundur
Hverfisbar: DJ Kiddi Bigfoot
Bar 11: DJ Lupen
Sirkus: DJ Natalie
Jón Forseti: DJ Party & Dance
Café Sólon: DJ Þröstur 3000
Celtic Cross: Downstairs: Band 3Some
Upstairs: Troubadour plays songs by request
Amsterdam: Drunk ‘n’ Funny band Buff plays
covers mixed with their own songs, who put glass
it the...you know what?
Ari í Ögri: Duet Acoustics
Dubliners: I B Band plays
Café Culture: Jamaican Night
Mojito Club: Launch music
Grand Rokk: The Keflavik Invasion: bands playing; Heiða og Heiðingjarnir, Tokyo Megaplex and
Æla.
Kaffi List: DJ’s Maggi & Bjarni from band Úlpa
JULY 17
SUNDAY
JULY 18
Bar 11: 21:00 Movie Night; DAVID LYNCH Eraserhead/Blue Velvet
Kaffi Reykjavík: Cabaret and Lunch night (see
picks for details)
Dubliners: Troubadour Ingvar Valgeirs
Nelly´s: Troubadour night, men with guitars try
their best as human jukeboxes
MONDAY
JULY 19
Dubliners: Troubadour Ingvar Valgeirs
Nelly´s: Troubadour night, men with guitars try
their best as human jukeboxes
I walk away shaking my head.
Metallica are going to play for 6%
of Iceland. Their opening band will
have them completely outclassed.
JULY 20
if you get the 1 on your dice your next drink is
FREE
Pravda Barinn: For those tired of computer
games, why not play Yahtzee, chess, Trivial Pursuit or Backgammon?
Prikið: Guest DJ
Nelly´s: Troubadour night, men with guitars try
their best as human jukeboxes
Dubliners: Troubadour Thor Fitzgerald
WEDNESDAY
JULY 21
Gaukur á Stöng: Band Dúndurfréttir (Big
News) play the best of Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin,
Uriah Heep and Deep Purple.
Kaffibarinn: DJ Gísli Galdur
Café Culture: Tango Night
Dubliners: Troubadour Bjarni Tryggva
Nelly´s: Troubadour night, men with guitars try
their best as human jukeboxes
THURSDAY
JULY 22
Café Victor: 1664 Night
Hverfisbar: Acoustic duet Bítlarnir
Gaukur á Stöng: Band Dúndurfréttir (Big
News) play the best of Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin,
Uriah Heep and Deep Purple.
Grand Rokk: Band Tube
Kaffi Reykjavík: Cabaret and Lunch night (see
picks for details)
Kaffibarinn: DJ Frosti Gringo
Bar 11: Eleven Poetry, the poetry nights at Bar
11 are well known by now,try for yourselves.
Café Sólon: Green Room Session; DJ’s Andrés
and Tommy White
Jón Forseti: Karaoke night
Prikið: Live music
De Palace: THE GIG: Some rock bands playing
Dubliners: Troubadour Bjarni Tryggva
Nelly´s: Troubadour night, men with guitars try
their best as human jukeboxes
Amsterdam: Troubadours Ingvar & Stebbi
24
BEERMAN IN: “COMFORTS DON´T COME CHEAP.”
by Beerman
We´ve all been there. You spend the night talking to a hot
illustration by Þorsteinn Davíðsson
waitress you´ve been after for months. It´s her night off and you´re
hoping its your night on. Pre-blackout, everything seems to be going
fine. And then you wake up. Next to someone who, as far as you can
deteremine, is most definately not your waitress. How this happened
you can only wonder. Did the waitress ditch you and then you simply
went for the next person in the room? Or did you, in a moment of
sheer insanity, or perhaps realising that the waitress was way outta
your league, settle for what seemed more likely to lead somewhere?
Not knowing whether you scored the
previous night, you move towards
her. She´s not nearly as pretty as
your waitress, but she´s there and the
waitress is not. Whatever happened
last night, your current bedfellow has
now lost all interest in you. This, of
course, turns you on.
Somewhat stupidly, you reach for
your mobile phone and ask for
her number. She gives you seven
figures, most probably at random,
as you hurriedly press “Add entry.”
The phone demands a name. At
that point you realise you have no
idea what her name is, so you fail
to record what may or may not be
her number. Not knowing what to
do, and hoping for relief from your
predicament, you decide to head
for the bathroom. You stand up in
front of her, naked. She gives you an
expression which tells you that what
may have seemed to her like a good
idea at the time no longer is. When
you reemerge from the toilet, she´s
gone. Whether you managed to score
a goal in the endless tournament
that is the Reykjavík bar scene, you´ll
never know.
And on it goes. You wait for night
to come and head out again. I had
heard rumours of free beer at an election rally, and suddenly found myself
developing an interest in politics.
The candidate in question was for
world peace, so I didn´t have a moral
crisis drinking his beer. Apart from
me, there was barely anyone is the
room but the candidate and his gorgeus Russian bride. A couple of guys
came in and walked up to me. At
least someone cared. “Is it true about
the free beer?” they asked. I pointed
them in the direction of the empty
bar. If you can´t even get the people
to drink for peace, then what hope
is there? The election over, the peace
candidate cut off the free booze and
went home to the comforting arms
of his loving wife, if nothing else.
The bar went back to charging
world record prices for the beer, and
the bar suddenly became filled with
people. Obviously, you wouldn´t
want to be seen in a place where
everything was free.
A band came on. At the lack
of anything better to do I stood in
front of the stage and stared at the
two people constituting the band, a
slightly overweight lead singer charging through yet another rendition of
Mustang Sally while the keyboardist
tried to keep pace. A girl put her
hand on my shoulder, as if trying to
see past me. I turned around. For a
minute I thought I was in love. Then
I realised it was just her estrogen
levels. She was at that point in her
monthly cycle where she took to
touching strange men for no apparent reason, when even the slightest
touch seemed sensual. There was
something she emitted into the air.
I was not the only one picking up on
this. She looked at me, emitted more
of whatever it was she was emitting,
and swayed her body more in tune
than the music was. Before more
than a moment could pass, and I´m
not one to count my moments, she
was surrounded by men bumping
into one another, trying to keep
rhythm around her, and they all
had a certain look in their eye. She
smiled, but not to me anymore. I sat
down and ordered a beer. Comforts
don´t come cheap in this town, but
they do have them.
Coffee, Java, Hipsters & Me
by Marc Mettler
Multiplicity is a common trait in Reykjavík. Every week
I meander down to café/bars where I
try to fit in among the hipster/musicians born from Iceland’s punk/newwave/alternative music boom of
the 1980s. I sit among them in my
favourite window seat upstairs in
Prikið to people-watch. In Kaffibarinn, I stare at my ibook and join
the pretentious crowd of Macintosh
worshipers. I meet friends at Kaffibrennslan where we ponder the latest
album by Erlend Øye. Together we
sip a standard-yet-satisfying cup of
coffee to an artsy soundtrack.
It’s the same thing week-in,
week-out and I’m starting to get
bored. I realise that when it comes to
cafés, sometimes less is more.
And that’s exactly what I find as I
sit with my richly brewed cup of joe
in Grái Kötturinn (The Gray Cat),
a special “artist-run café” tucked-in
across from the National Theatre on
Hverfisgata.
“We get six people here and it’s
rush hour,” says the guy working the
counter. I notice that the place is
really that small, but it’s filled to the
brim with an unpretentious blend
of books, from Danielle Steel to
George Bernard Shaw.
I am introduced to Hulda
Hákon, who runs the place with her
husband, Jón Óskar. The walls are
covered with art and photography by
the couple. Hákon plugs her latest
art show at a nearby gallery and
explains to me how they were able to
pay for the opening of the café with
their artwork.
A regular stops in to order pancakes and read the paper. He chats
with the workers like old friends. I
feel welcome to join in or enjoy my
coffee alone. When the conversation
lulls, I notice the absence of progressive-rock tunes in my ears and feel at
ease.
The two oldest cafés in town,
Kaffi Mokka and Tíu Droppar, also
dare to brave the coffee world in
the sound of silence. Mokka offers
groovy 1950s décor with deep, brown
tones and some tasty java to boot.
And sitting inside Tíu Droppar,
owner Hérdís Kírsten Hupfeldt
welcomes me warmly in Icelandic,
despite my fast-talking English.
When I start to feel weighted
down by all the rich, black coffee
served around town, I step into the
competitive Kaffi Tár on Bankastræti
to peak my caffeine high with a final
zinger.
With a wall of trophies from both
national and world barista competitions, Kaffi Tár takes pride in the
unique iced-coffee drinks created by
By the Reykjavík harbour
Suðurbugt Reykjavík harbour
Tel: 551 5101
H.S.
I go to places filled with author/painters, Icelandic/Americans or
singer/songwriters in indie/punk bands. Even the Grapevine has a
musician/editor.
its smiley staff. I order the recommended “The Naked Lime,” which
combines espresso, milk, caramel
syrup and lime with tongue-twisting
talent. I had forgotten that coffee
could be light and refreshing.
The downtown location (one
of four Kaffi Társ in Iceland) has
a more drink-and-run style, with
young and old customers entering and exiting in swift rotation.
Manager Sonja Grant explains that
the hot-colour scheme of the café
was chosen to resemble the tropical
locations where coffee is grown.
Energized and a bit shaky from
all the caffeine, I recognise the key
behind many of these cafés: they
don’t serve alcohol or try to double as
a bar. And many of them have only
daytime hours. The focus, then, stays
on what matters: the coffee. And
good service, of course.
I ask Grant about her experience
before the coffee business. “I was a
carpenter,” she replies. I guess multiplicity is impossible to avoid.
Aesthetics
and Politics
Hafnarhús
Tryggvagata 17
Renowned works by the Icelandic pop-artist Erró
Open daily 10-17, free on Monday
Café and Museum boutique
www.artmuseum.is
[email protected]
INTERVIEW
26
PLEASE DON’T INTERRUPT SIGUR RÓS
by Bart Cameron
H
ere’s the important thing: Sigur Rós is recording a brilliant
new album at their studio in Mosfellsbær. The band, which recently
celebrated their tenth birthday, is working together at a level that
will astonish fans and anybody interested in contemporary music.
Sigur Rós are critics’ darlings and they have a fanatic fan base
- next year, they will prove they deserved all the attention and they
will get much, much bigger.
Everybody can play anything
When we finally opened the door
to the studio, after standing outside
and just listening for a full song, the
band was slightly thrown off. Yes,
we were expected. Jónsi, singer and
multi-instrumentalist (everybody in
the band can play anything), gave us
an embarrassed tour of the studio.
The band went to put on their shoes
and head out to a bakery. In an ideal
world, we would have interviewed
at the bakery. There were no seats,
and nobody was really interested in
clearing out. Nobody was interested
in the critically acclaimed band at all.
The only thing that drew attention
was me ordering in English.
So we returned to the studio and
ducked into a modest nook. I sat on
a stool, took out my notebook and
everything got boring.
Then, when they were done with
the interview, everyone in the band
started smiling and stretching. Their
work was done. I stayed on and got
out of the way, and the band ran
down to the bottom of the old pool
and started playing vibraphone and
organ.
There were almost no effects. And
Jónsi sang without a mic. His
voice was still haunting. It still
carried perfectly. Jónsi played the
groundwork, or the centering chords,
on organ, and on top of that the
other band members weaved melodic
hooks. The closest comparison might
be some of the instrumentation in
Belle and Sebastion’s new album
- it was crystal clear, complex,
and hypermelodic. As the song
continued, the band, laughing and
smiling, ran to different instruments.
By the end of song one, there was a
solid drum beat and driving bassline,
and the song genuinely felt complete.
Powerhouse English tea time
dream rock
During the second song, I made
the depressing realization that
everybody in Sigur Rós can play the
vibraphone well. Again, everybody
was running around from instrument
to instrument, building this time
to a denouement in which a toy
piano kicked out its slight notes over
music that I can only describe as
powerhouse English tea time dream
rock.
The band was happy. I was happy.
The photographer was happy. I said,
“That was great. Really great.”
Watching them perform their new
songs was a highpoint in my life as
a music fan, seriously, and the band
is made up of very nice people, but
interviewing them sucked. Trust me.
Fifteen seconds into the interview,
Jónsi and Ragnar walked out of the
room. Fifteen minutes later, Orri and
Goggi and I decided to just give up.
“It´s changed”
And that’s part of the point of Sigur
Rós, by the way. For a band that
produced an untitled album with
Hopelandic lyrics and ten-minute
songs, a pat interview might be
unsettling. Here’s an excerpt of what
I got out of the interview:
Bart: Can you describe the music on
the new album?
Goggi: It’s changed.
Bart: And how has it changed?
silence
Goggi: Our music evolves naturally.
silence
Bart: Well, were you influenced by
any music for this album? Any CDs
make a big impression?
Goggi: Hip hop.
Bart: Really?
Goggi: No…Nothing we know is
influencing our music.
Orri, who up to this point has been
extremely quiet: We’re never on the
same page.
Okay, it goes on like that. Which is
not to say they were mean-spirited.
They were just quiet.
“Unbelievably quiet”
Björn Erlingur Flóki Björnsson
runs Sigur Rós’ official website,
www.sigur-ros.co.uk. He laughed
uncontrollably when I told him I’d
had a bad interview.
“Everybody does. Who’d you get?”
I told him Goggi and Orri, the
bassist and drummer.
“That’s the worst pair. They’re so
unbelievably quiet.”
So what the hell, I said. These are
nice guys, they make great music,
why intentionally give me a bad
interview?
It was nothing personal: “I got a bad
interview, too. I got those two…
Sigur Rós will do anything to avoid
business. To them interviews are
business.”
“Everybody knows they’re not big
on interviews,” he went on to say.
“The worst thing is the way foreign
magazines go on and on about how
quiet the guys are. They overhype
the reserved qualities. They love
making Icelandic things more
unique than they are. ‘Oh they’re so
Icelandic!’”
No, their lack of interest in
interviews is not typically Icelandic.
Look, Sigur Rós just isn’t a band you
interview. Let’s leave it at that. If you
want a good interview with Sigur
Rós, well, ask yourself why.
Sigur Ros’ new album should be
completed early next year. When
it comes out, hopefully people
will relax and enjoy it instead of
interrupting with questions… or
even compliments.
BERGSTAÐASTRÆTI 13
- PHONE: 551 3083
Oldest bakery in Iceland
since 1834
H.S.
As the photographer drove me out
of Reykjavík, complaining about
Mosfellsbær as a suburb that takes
too long on the bus, I could help
noticing that, boring as the town
may be, most people in the world
would be impressed with its beauty
- set under mountains and against a
bay. Sundlaug, Sigur Rós’ studio, is
a striking building: an old concrete
swimming pool, yes, but an old
concrete swimming pool with a
river running underneath it, a duck
pond on one side, and a terraced
hill that has been used as a natural
amphitheatre on another.
Segafredo, Lækjartorgi
Italian Espresso Bar
Open 08.00 - 00.00
OUTSIDE REYKJAVÍK
28
ON THE RIVERBANK WITH BUBBI
by Robert Jackson
I
t’s the car you notice first. So many millions of kronur’s worth of
tinted windowed, metallic grey, whispering-wheeled Range Rover.
Then out jumps the driver, dressed from top to toe in an equally impressive several hundred thousand kronur’s worth of Simm’s, metallic
grey waders and wrap-around shades. We are on the banks of one of
the country’s most exclusive salmon rivers with Bubbi Morthens.
The drugs and drink behind him
and an early morning regime of
workouts in the boxing gym have
produced a man who exudes health
and energy; a man in his prime.
And, as Bubbi celebrates his
25th anniversary as a professional
musician, he has never been
happier, nor busier. A new album
(his sixteenth), the publication
of a children’s book, the second
series of Idol, a documentary and
a regrouping of Egó are all to be
packed into the next six months. But
now is the summer and summer, for
Bubbi, means Iceland and fishing.
“As a kid I spent the days fishing
out on Meðalfellsvatn, rowing
and hooking trout out of the lake
the whole summer long. It was a
total freedom. I set off each day on
adventures, the lake, the river or the
mountains - I’d take my pick. When
you are a kid you can step into
whatever world you want to step
into. I would only come back when
I was hungry. It was glorious, it was
my life and my joy to be there.”
Nicotine gum and fishing
instead of drugs
Bubbi’s itching to get down the
river, but he also seems happy to talk
a while longer. He pops a piece of
nicotine gum into his mouth; since
giving up smoking a few weeks ago
he chews it with the determination
of a major league baseball player.
“When I got off the drugs I knew
that I had to do something that was
normal.
I started to think, what was the
thing that I loved the most, what
was it that meant the most to me?
Well, it was fishing. So I said to
myself, ‘I’m back into the fishing.’”
He has studio time booked to finish
the new album. For some, fishing
is a complete break for work but for
Bubbi it can be part of the creative
process.
K Ö - H Ö N N U N / PMC
“I get a lot of ideas when I’m on
these trips. I find that words or
melodies, they come easily out here.
I don’t have to work for them, and
if they come when I’m fishing,
they’re fresh and they go to ‘the
bank’ and they stay there. It´s nice
really nice. When I’m fishing I’m in
a good state of mind, I’m in balance
with nature.” He laughs. “I’m
unplugged!”
Communist, traitor and anarchist
We head off down to the river. The
northerly wind brings with it a chill
and the prospect of bad weather. “I
hate rain. Fisherman will always tell
you that rain and cloud are good for
the fishing but I don’t like it. This
is not the way I want to see nature.
I like sunshine, hot weather. That’s
my kind of weather.
You know, we finally we have a
generation who are growing up to
believe that their country is their
mother, it’s a living creature. It’s
not just a piece of rock. But we
have a government who really aren’t
that committed to it. They look
at our country and say, ‘What can
we squeeze out of it, what can we
get out of it?’ So they build damns,
aluminium smelters and they ruin
the country and they will tell you
that they are doing it for the people.”
“I protested against Kárahnjúkar, but
the problem is that too many people
here are too scared to make a stand.
Too scared to say what they truly
believe in case down the line they
can’t get a job or a career. I spoke
out and will continue to speak out
against Davíð and Halldór selling
the East to Alcoa, I tell people
that it is only Alcoa who will make
any money out of it. I get called a
communist, a traitor, an anarchist in
return (sounds like a good mix -ed).
More people should be prepared to
speak out.”
Fighting to keep it
Bubbi has always been outspoken
and it is hard to find a topic that
he is reticent about, but his manner
is always lighthearted and the
rants, which come in waves, are
interspersed with laughter and
humour.
“It almost like this government
doesn’t see tourism as real project.
They see it as a cheap buck, easy
money… they don’t want to plan for
the future. We have guys who used
to fish showing tourists the whales,
they start to make whale watching
good business. But the government
says: “Well we’ll just keep killing a
few during the tourist season.” What
sort of message does that send? It’s
just like in my grandfather’s times.
‘I’m my own boss, I don’t care what
you say.’ All that old shit. It’s like
listening to Einar Benediktsson…It’s
so short sighted. They don’t see into
the future, they don’t see reality.
The future has to be tourism. People
come in their thousands to see our
country; they don’t come to see
aluminium factories.”
We are down by the river now and
the air is thick with the calls of the
whimbrels, terns, snipe, plovers,
all who have come to lay their eggs
before heading south for the winter.
“Listen to that. Isn’t it amazing? We
need to get more Icelanders out into
the country in the summer. This
whole valley’s alive with birds. It’s
the same all over the country. To be
here, to witness it is part of a much
bigger thing. If more could people
could experience this they would
fight harder to keep it.”
Egó strikes again
a family relationship.
The sun has decided to break loose
from behind the clouds and Bubbi
now stretches out on the bank to
grab some rays, the young man who
sat and stretched his legs, smoking
a joint while being interviewed in
Rokk í Reykjavík seems a long way
away. This summer sees him pulling
his band of those days, Egó, together
again.
The only way. Man.
“This will be the fifth version of
Egó. Me and Magnus Stefánson,
we decided to form the band with
new members. We are not just
getting together for three gigs; we
are planning to write and move
Egó forward. We will do an album.
We’ve been working really hard,
firstly getting the old material
together. When I’m there singing
some of these old lyrics, I think,
‘Wow, Man!’ This is an arrogant
attitude, this is something. Then
there are songs that are so brilliant
- I am speechless.” He grins as he
says it.
“I’ve always liked working with a
band. You are less exposed than
when it’s just you on stage with
your voice and your guitar. It’s ten
times more difficult; you have to
keep everything in the palm of your
hand. If you do anything wrong it
screams out from the stage. You are
so vulnerable up there alone. In a
band you are part of it. It’s more like
Exiting planned day tours and
custom made tours by your own wishes
“We are going over for the first
gig in the Westman Islands for the
holiday festival. We’ve put together
a great set, I can feel it all ready.
It’s going to be great. They’ll hear
the new Egó play the old songs
in a fresh way. We’ll play some
Utangarðsmenn songs, a few from
my solo career and we’ll put some
others in there like ‘Guns of Brixton’
and maybe some other Clash
numbers. But mainly it will be Egó.
We´ll fly in, play 1 1/2 hours and
go and then fly out.” Times have
changed.
He leaps up and strides over to
unclip his rod from the roof of the
car. “Man, what am I doing? There’s
fish in this river and I’m sitting here
talking…”
Another stick of gum and Bubbi
wades into the neck of the pool to
catch his first fish from this river this
season. If he does he will release it.
This too, is a thing that has changed.
“Make sure you tell them that
Icelanders should stop killing every
salmon they catch. We’ll have none
left for our children and our rivers
will be dead. Catch and Release,
Catch and Release - it’s the only
way, man.”
And so I have.
29
Island Life
Hella - Cocaine and horses
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Cocaine dealers in Iceland were
busy last weekend trying to sell
their product to horseback riders on
the national equestrian competion.
Clearly Icelandic pushers are trying
to widen their target group even
though they make over 600 million
ISK a year just for selling the drug.
Hornarfjardarmanni. World
champion
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Iceland has a new World Champion
of Hornafjardarmanni which is a
card game only known in Höfn í
Hornafirði a small town in the south
of the country. 135 people tried
their best but Björn Arnarson came,
saw and conquered. Björn is a bird
enthusiast and a member of staff in a
local cultural center on daily basis.
Keflavik - Attempted break
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Two teenagers were caught trying
to break through the fence of the
NATO base at Keflavík by the 10
soldiers of the US military police
who showed up in two SUV´s. The
boys claimed that they were just taking a walk along the base fence.
SEARCHING FOR
SHANNON ELIZABETH
by Bart Cameron
You need more Americans here.
It’s a guys trip. Strip clubs, women,
beer. It’s a location,” says the
marketing expert when I ask why
160 golfers were deposited in a
suburban Icelandic golf course.
“There’s a guy out there named
Bubba,” I say.
“Really? Bubba. That’s great,”
she says and writes it down in a
notebook. “That’s what’s great about
this kind of event. This is the new
face of golf. These are guys who buy
clothes off the clearance rack. They
won’t pay for a nice shirt, but they
will come out to Iceland.”
“Do you have a name for this type
of person?” She has been so specific,
there must be textbooks about these
guys.
“Average American golf consumer,”
she says.
It is a sunny but windy and cold day, and Höddi the photographer
and I are walking down the center of a fairway in Hafnarfjörður.
We’ve been searching for Shannon Elizabeth - best known for appearing nude in American pie - for an hour. All we’ve found is a
bunch of fat and lethargic American men in their mid-thirties.
Höddi and I grab some Heinekens
and donuts from a golf cart driven by
two teenage Icelandic girls whose job
it is to provide refreshment to the
American men, but who are doing
their best to avoid them.
Who´s Tanya Roberts?
We give up talking to the American
men and only now talk to the
Icelanders working the course. The
problem: they don’t know who the
celebrities are. Adam, a fourteenyear-old who has been assigned the
task of standing on an especially
windswept rock and waving flags
when the balls go out of bounds,
eventually fills us in. The old one, he
says, is on hole five. He hasn’t seen
any young woman.
Finally, we find our celebrity. A
celebrity. We find Tanya Roberts,
the hot mom from That 70´s Show.
She is nice, and she is freakishly
attractive. She is also very, very small.
A golf ball takes up her entire hand.
She says the same thing she said on
RUV the night before: “I really want
to see Gullfoss and the geyser, but
we haven’t gotten there yet.” In the
same tone she goes on and says, “I
hate getting stuck in lava.”
She poses for Höddi. She then
prepares to drive, Höddi standing
directly in her peripheral vision,
distracting her by snapping away at
his camera. She lobs a drive into the
rocks about thirty yards away.
“Where is the alcohol?,” she says.
“We’ve been waiting for the beer all
afternoon.”
We don’t find Shannon Elizabeth.
The tournament, which boasted
I pointed out to my marketing friend
that Iceland is expensive, that there
are very few strip clubs, that it is a
literary and artistic community. She
shrugged off my answer. There were
160 guys here who didn’t have a clue
about Icelandic culture, and they
were extremely content.
H.S.
Seeing Höddi’s camera, some stop
us to deliver quotes: “I came to enjoy
the culture and the game itself ”
says John Poppy, a Heineken beer
distributor from Phoenix. Never
mind that all I asked him was where
I can find Shannon Elizabeth. Never
mind that he is speaking so slowly
and loudly that he must suspect me
of being Icelandic, hard of hearing,
and possessing sizable learning
disorders. His buddies all say
“Bullshit, you came for the women.”
“Yeah you came for the chicks.” But
he looks at me with a mock sincerity
as though his quote was somehow a
deep answer.
Poppy’s fat friend Bubba from New
Orleans takes me aside and says
“This island’s great. You need to get
more Americans here.”
that contestants would “Golf at
midnight” started at 2pm, and the
organizers have all left by 3:30.
Instead of midnight golf, the
itinerary for the evening includes a
ten-bar pub crawl. Included in the
Icelandic pub crawl, two Irish pubs
and quite a few seedy bars which
must have only been chosen because
they served Amstel.
Better than Shannon Elizabeth, we
find an American marketing expert.
Iceland is the next Myrtle Beach.
“It doesn’t matter that the wind is
bad and nobody golfs here. This is
the whole Myrtle Beach experience.
If the ugly Americans are coming
to Iceland, coming to golf into
incredible headwinds in extremely
temperamental weather on courses
full of rocks, well, it may not do
much for American stereotyping,
but it will probably be good on
Icelanders’ egos. And it’s possible it
won’t really hurt anyone.
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by Margrét Örnólfsdóttir
Margrét Örnólfsdóttir was the
Sugarcubes keyboardist, having
formerly been member of the band
Risaeðlan (Reptile). She has done
various things since, notably writing
the screenplay and music for the
children´s film Regina.
Undoubtedly the most entertaining Icelandic movie ever made and the first
movie I paid twice to go to see. It was made by people who were determined
to entertain the audience and they were having tremendous fun doing it. It is
filled with such joi de vivre and fluent sense of humor that even the headstrongest fýlupúkar are bound to lighten up.
Með allt á hreinu brought a fresh and powerful feel into the Icelandic film environment,
although it wasn´t much of an environment at the time. At least we the teenagers
thought Icelandic films were quite lame and boring with bad acting and terrible sound.
I think few musicals have such a high number of hit songs as this one does. Almost all
the songs of the film went straight to that place in your head where songs that will not be
forgotten go to. And every single scene of the film is memorable. It is hard not to admire
the big thinking. I´m not sure any film producer today would approve to sending two
pop bands and Eggert Þorleifsson and no script on a tour around Iceland. Oh, and we
mustn´t forget to thank this movie for making an actor out of Eggert Þorleifsson.
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by Einar Örn Benediktsson
At the tender age of 17, Einar was manager
for Bubbi´s band Utangarðsmenn. He then
formed his own band, Purkur Pillnikk, one of
the most influential bands on the punk scene.
When punk supergroup Kukl was formed from
the leading members of the punk scene, Einar
was one of the founders, despite studying
media in Britain at the time. Kukl became the
Sugarcubes and went on to world domination
I remember nothing! And I am thankful for that memory or memory
loss which could be attributed to excessive exposure to noise and bad radio
for decades. It also makes my day when I try to finger what has made my
day in the past, made me tick and think, yes this is it! And it usually boils
down to songs or tracks rather than whole albums.
My memory remembers nothing really
before 1977 in music, if anything then
listening to Megas through my friend
Bragi whose musical know-how towers
over mine. Requested to list eight, I go
automatically back, way back, in order to
see if something from the past makes me
want to join Mínus today. I remember
Trió Ólafs Ósýnilega, a duet, of course,
who played transistors and liquid fuel at
the launch of a Purrkur Pillnikk record.
Jonee-Jonee made it all the simpler
with only drums, bass and voice, the
simplicity is still something which is to
be admired. Curver’s Haf, a submerged
trip into the deep. I later learned that
his first vinyl on his Christmas list was
Sogblettir. In their 5th gear, they did not
mean to take any prisoners but to mow
everyone down. In Oxzmá I find that
multi layered talent, when art was not
a swear word. Stanya brought me Líf, a
vinyl EP, which at the time interwined
music as a travelogue. Lojpippos and
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by Sjón
SJóN published his first collection of poetry
at the tender age of fifteen, three years before
reading the Master and the Margarita.
He has also published the novels “Night Of
Steel”, “Angel, Tophat and Strawberries” and
“Thine Eyes Saw Me”. His other activities
include three private art exhibitions, a brief
career as the megastar Johnny Triumph, and
writing the lyrics to Bjork’s recent hit-song
“Isobel”.
Due to a misunderstanding, which may or
may not be the fault of your editor, Sjón listed
his top 10 books of all time, be they Icelandic
or not.
My absolutely favourite book is the novel ‘The Master and
Margarita’ by Mihail Bulgakov. I first read this Russian masterpiece in
English when I was at the tender age of eighteen. It blew my mind to see
how easily Bulgakov mixed fantasy and reality and stirred it all up with
a healthy dose of humor, love/sex, humanism and theology. The book had
such a profound influence on me that for a few months I actually became
one of the characters in the story; Korofiev the Choirmaster. He is one
of Satan’s sidekicks; a dangerous and idiotic troublemaker harbouring a
slowburning sorrow. (So, now you know!) And, ah, I must confess, ever
since those bright and blue summer days of 1981 have I struggled and
strived to write something half as good as this marvellous book.
1. On Top (Með allt á hreinu) by Ágúst Guðmundsson (1982).
2. Regina (Regína) by María Sigurðardóttur (2001). Of course it
would have been in my nature to put my own offspring in first place on
the list but I decided to show a little bit of modesty. It is, on the other
hand, maybe not so illogical to put Regina second after Með allt á hreinu
because it is not unlikely that my obsession to bring that song-crazed girl
into the world can in some way be traced back to the impact MAÁH had
on me back in the old days.
3. Dot Dot Comma Dash (Punktur, punktur, komma strik) by
Þorsteinn Jónsson (1980). I was 12 years old when this film was made and
because my father was one of the producers I could be around and watch
the preparation and shooting. That´s probably where it all started, when I
became interested in film making.
4. Rainbow´s End (Á hjara veraldar) by Kristín Jóhannesdóttur (1983).
When Rainbow´s End was released I was passionately into European
films and this film was in harmony with that. I found it deliciously weird
and beautiful and it spoke strongly to me even though I didn´t really
understand it.
5. Rock in Reykjavik (Rokk í Reykjavík) by Friðrik Þór Friðriksson
(1982). It felt like Rock in Reykjavik was sent from heaven to give you the
message that you actually had a chance in this world. What a treasure!
6. Pigen Gogo, aka Taxi (79 af stöðinni) by Erik Balling (1962).I
don´t know what it is with this film. Maybe it is my weakness for black
and white movies with creaking sound, but more likely it is the delight of
watching Kristbjörg Keld who is so strikingly beautiful that you instantly
forget that you have ever set eyes on Ava Gardner.
7. The Icelandic Dream (Íslenski draumurinn) by Róbert I. Douglas
(2000).When I saw The Icelandic Dream I remembered how much fun
it can be to go to the movies. This is one of the funnier pictures I´ve
seen and it´s a relief to finally get this relaxed atmosphere into acting
and dialogue, which is one of the major complaints you can have about
Icelandic filmmaking, even though it is getting much better.
8. Magnus (Magnús) by Þráinn Bertelsson (1989). Þráinn Bertelsson
manages in Magnus to procure a very balanced atmosphere that it is
difficult to master. It is both light and funny and bittersweet and human.
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1. Fan Houtens Kóko
2. Lojpippos og Spojsippus
3. Stanya: Líf
4. Oxzmá
5. Sogblettir: 5. gírinn
6. Curver: haf
7. Jonee-Jonee: Svonatorrek
8. Trío Ólafs Ósýnilega
Spojsippus, making strange music on synths some 2 decades ago and bringing
smile on my face everytime, and recently given 4 tracks they made brought
back the smile.
Fan Houtens Kóko “Það brakar í Herra K”, says it all in the title, “Mr. K is
creaking” and the certain assertion that “the city can be seen”, just makes me
want to cry and make sure that the rest will be just as simple as that. Their
stuff is still shit hot, if my memory serves me right.
� �
1. The Master and Margarita by Mihail Bulgakov
1 1/2. Gerpla (Happy Warriors) by Halldór Laxness. Laxness’ great
outcry against the glorification of war is a testament to his masterful
command of epic storytelling. Imitating the style of the Sagas, he moves
his hapless hero from one hilarious massacre to the next. Yes, you’ll laugh
your brains out as you slowly realize that there is no such thing as a good
cause in war, that all wars are really fought against the interests of us
common people. And shame on ye Poets who praise Kings!
2. The Last World by Cristoph Ransmayr. A fascinating rewriting of
Ovid’s Metamorphoses with the poet himself at the heart of its drama.
Go, I dare you, go visit the Iron city and its shape-shifting inhabitants.
3. UBIK by Philip K. Dick. Since the death of sci-fi genius Horselover
Fat, it has become obvious that the rest of us are trapped inside his
imagination.
4. Edda by Snorri Sturluson. No one turns a phrase like this Icelandic
Renaissance man. No one!
5. Not before sundown by Johanna Sinisalo. In this incredibly
entertaining and thought-provoking novel, the Finnish writer Sinisalo
reinvents our world as a place where the feline-looking Night Trolls of old
legends are not only real but a force to be reckoned with.
6. The Quest for Dr. Ü by H. C. Artmann. Who is Dr. Ü? Is he the
trapeze artist with the obviously fake nose sitting next to you on the bus?
Or is he the Devil himself hunting for yor soul?
7. The Golden Ass by Apuleius. A horny man is turned into an ass
and goes on a punishing quest to reclaim his human form. Need I say
more?
8. The Demon Flower by Jo Imog. This dark fairy tale is about a little
girl who gets rid of her family to be able to live with her love, an eccentric
woman, living in the next Alpine village.
9. ELEKTRA Assassin by Frank Miller. Frank Miller’s story about
Elektra and her fight with the apocalyptically inclined and demonically
posessed president of the USA is as relevant as ever. Yeah, where are the
sexy, twisted, sword-wielding ninja girls when we need them?